Army investigators have concluded that a Green Beret electrocuted in a shower in his barracks in Iraq was the victim of negligent homicide in a case involving the largest American contractor in Iraq, according to a written statement from one investigator.

In a Dec. 16 e-mail message written to the mother of the Green Beret, Sgt. Ryan D. Maseth, who died last January, an Army investigator stated that the cause of death had been changed from accidental to negligent homicide for the purpose of the investigation. Sergeant Maseth's death led to a series of investigations that uncovered widespread safety problems caused by shoddy electrical work performed by contractors at American bases throughout Iraq. Internal Pentagon documents indicate that at least 18 American personnel members have been electrocuted in Iraq, while poor electrical work has caused hundreds of fires and other damage at American bases.

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