A Schofield Barracks soldier will be court-martialed on a charge of premeditated murder in the Oct. 7 death of his former girlfriend and mother of his young son, but he won't face the death penalty, the Army said.

Spc. Jeffery White, 21, a veteran of Afghanistan, is accused of strangling Spc. Felicia LaDuke and running her over three times with her rental car near Ka'ena Point.

Honolulu police said they had statements that White drove LaDuke's car back to a spot near Schofield Barracks, and returned with a friend hours later and pointed out where the body was.

A date for the court-martial at Wheeler Army Air Field has not been set, the Army said. White remains in the brig on Ford Island.

In April, at an Article 32 hearing, which is similar to a civilian preliminary hearing and grand jury, prosecutor Capt. David Clark said he would ask the investigating officer to find aggravation in the murder to make the case eligible for the death penalty.

But the Army yesterday said Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon, commanding general of the 25th Infantry Division, referred the case to court-martial on the premeditated murder charge with a maximum penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The Houston man also is charged with obstruction of justice and communicating threats.

Schofield spokesman Ken-drick Washington said investigating officer Maj. Suzanne Mitchem recommended against the death penalty, and White's brigade commander and Mixon, the division commander, followed the recommendation.

"I don't know if that information is for public consumption (as to) why she (Mitchem) decides what she decides," Washington said. Mitchem was not immediately available for comment, he said.

LaDuke's mother, Donna, could not be reached yesterday. The Minnesota woman has said that she favored the death penalty for White.

In November, Donna LaDuke said, "I know there are a lot of details that we have not had access to, but from the ones I have received, I can tell you that prison time alone I don't think is fair."

White, who married another woman, was involved in a custody and child-support battle with LaDuke, according to acquaintances who testified at the Article 32 hearing.

During the hearing, Honolulu police detective Jimmy Anderson, who responded to the Ka'ena Point murder, said he was told White and LaDuke met to discuss child custody and that White strangled LaDuke, threw her out of the car, and ran her over three times.

White and LaDuke each accused the other of being a bad parent, acquaintances said. Prosecution witnesses have said White made statements that he initiated a child custody case only because he didn't want to pay child support.