William Calley who led US soldiers in infamous My Lai massacre dies age 80

William L Calley, Jr during his court martial at Fort Benning, Georgia., in April 1971 (APPhoto/Joe Holloway, Jr., File)

William L Calley Jr, who as an US Army lieutenant led the soldiers who killed hundreds of Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai massacre, the most notorious war crime in modern American military history, has died. He was 80.

Calley died on April 28 at a hospice in Gainesville, Florida, the Washington Post reported on Monday, citing his death certificate. The Florida Department of Health in Alachua County didn’t immediately respond to Associated Press requests for confirmation.