Capt. Robert Semrau has been found not guilty of second-degree murder and attempted murder in the battlefield death of a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan.

Although Semrau, 36, was let off on the more serious charges, he was found guilty of the lesser military charge of discreditable conduct.

A military panel reached the verdict after beginning deliberations on Saturday afternoon.

Semrau was accused of firing two rounds into the dying Taliban fighter in October 2008.

The five-person panel heard Semrau told fellow soldiers that he simply wanted to put the severely wounded fighter out of his misery.

With files from The Canadian Press