IRAQ: Haditha case dwindles with innocent verdict

The prosecution case against eight Marines accused in the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha has now dwindled to just two defendants, with no convictions or guilty pleas.

With the Wednesday acquittal of Lt. Andrew Grayson by a jury of seven officers at Camp Pendleton, the prosecution of six of the defendants is now complete.

Of the four enlisted Marines initially charged with murdering men, women and children, three have had the charges thrown out.

The fourth, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, is still set for court-martial, but the military-judge at his preliminary hearing has written that he doubts a conviction is possible because of lack of forensic evidence and unreliable statements by witnesses. No date has been set for the trial as prosecutors seek to force CBS to deliver unbroadcast parts of a "60 Minutes" interview with Wuterich.

Of four officers accused of dereliction for not ordering a full-scale war crimes investigation into the November 2005 killings, two have had charges thrown out. Grayson, an intelligence officer, was the first defendant to go to trial.

In July, unless the judge rules in favor of a defense motion claiming undue command influence, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, the battalion commander, is set for court martial. Chessani, who was on his third tour in Iraq, provided information about the killings to his chain of command, but prosecutors say he should have been quicker and more complete in explaining the incident.

How the Grayson verdict may influence the Chessani and Wuterich cases is unknown. Military rules prohibit interviews with prosecutors. The Grayson case jurors are not talking.

Chessani's lawyers see the Grayson verdict as a harbringer of what will happen if their client goes to trial: that Marine-jurors with combat experience in Iraq will not second-guess one of their own if it means branding him as a criminal.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Bodies of some of the Iraqis killed in Haditha, Nov. 19, 2005. Credit: Lucian Reed/Atlas Press

Comments

[Mike]

As I said on an earlier post " the Feds need to take over these prosecutions and should look at some of the past dismissals without a trial such as that Marine Lt who shot his prisioners. The military and specifically the Marine Corps has demonstrated a poor record of holding people accountable. 99.99% of our troops serve honorably but the ones that violate the Geneva Conventions and US law need to be held accountable. The military has too much of an interest is seeing these cases end in dismissal." The support from the public is encouraging but our troops are capable of making mistakes. Allowing criminal conduct will encourage additional criminal conduct. Ensuring accountability will deter criminal conduct.

[Bily]

This is in response to Richard R.

Richard, First you were not present at the the exact moment and therefore, you have no evidence. I will ask you the question? Are these men guilty without a resonable doubt? Where is your evidence? Who are you to blame them? What country are you from......? Are you a Muslim Lawyer? This country is founded on Christian principles of law......the 10 commandments...? It is not a tyranny law system yet?.... But with your help, it will happen soon.
Shame on you for your false charges agaiinst these men whom have given there lives for your freedom, and pursuit of happiness. Maybe you should leave this country and go to Saudi Arabia or Uganda or Kenya where you will be treated as you falsely accuse others.

Love it or leave it, change it and you will destroy it.

Semper FI

[Mike]

Clearly there was not enough evidence to convict anyone in this incident. If your son was one of the Marines you might feel differently about the innocence or guilt of our troops.

Bottom line, it appears this railroad won't happen, and that is as it should be.

Now, who believes that Murtha will issue an apology?

God Bless our Marines and America

[Red, White and Blue]

Praise the Lord the truth has set him free! Thank you to all who serve. We owe a debt of gratitude we can never repay!

God bless our troops! God bless our nation!

[Semper0351]

The blind support from the public is encouraging to see, so let's all get on the same page, looking at this with knowledge from inside. There was no crime committed here except putting that SSgt (then Sgt) in charge of the patrol. He had no experience and took an eager rifle squad out for a spin. When sh*t happens as it does, things got out of hand. These guys aren't monsters, but we can't pretend this was an ideal situation. They were Marines, God bless 'em, trying their best.

[Vincent]

Among those shot by our Marines: a one-year-old girl, a three-year-old girl, a four-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl.

[David D.]

Well, I see that the keyboard patriot parrots are out squawking in full force today. "Support our boys! God bless America!" Does it help you feel less guilty about sending boys out to kill when you repeat your slogans?

But the worst of you is Jamey: "Our military has never, and will never, target civilians in Iraq." Ever heard of My Lai? No Gun Ri? You think our soldiers in Iraq are somehow different from those in Vietnam and Korea? We take 18 year olds, teach them to kill and are shocked when sometimes they lose control and go too far??

All soldiers are tools of politicians and peoples who fail to resolve their differences peacefully. They are killing machines. Do you think Chinese or Nazi soldiers are any less brave than Americans? Do you think soldiers under fire are fighting for "freedom", "democracy", "the emperor" or anything else? They are just trying to stay alive and kill as many of the enemy as possible.

And for those who say the soldiers are innocent because a court found them not guilty, do you think O.J. Simpson is innocent, too? After all, an American court found him not guilty too.

[Ex/Marine]

Why waste the time to Court Marshall any of these true Patriots? The killing of women and children by real American Patriots is understandable and accepted in America. First the red man, then the yellow man, next the brown men and throw in a few hundred thousand white and Black men and there you are. We have so much to be proud of in America.

[Proud Patriot]

Ordinarily I would say ignore little, self-loathing whiners like Tom. He didn't even bother to get the facts of the case correct. Today, however, I can't ignore his ignorance.

On this very day 64 years ago, when American troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, they did so to keep Americans free...even little self-loathing whiners. American forces are still pushing back the thrusts of tyranny whenever they strike. It is an ongoing battle we must never give up fighting. Today, we fight the battle on two fronts: Islamo-fascists on the battlefield and Surrendercrats at home.

Thanks to all who are fighting that battle to keep our nation free. Congratulations Lt. Grayson. May God bless and keep you.

Yes, Tom, I'm a Proud Patriot and damn proud of it. You wouldn't understand.

[Jamey]

To Tom:

I feel nothing but pity for you. One would hate to confuse you with the facts. For starters, these were not soldiers. They were Marines. When a soldier or Marine is represented with civilian, legal counsel, it is done at his/her personal expense and at great cost.

You obviously weren't interested in the facts of this case which finally did come out and exonerated Lt. Grayson who wasn't even present. Time Magazine based its flimsly evidence on insurgents. The only reason any of this came to trial is the intense politically correct media pressure and John Murtha (D) Pennsylvania.

No one wants innocent deaths. Innocents are being killed by suicide bombers who target them or take them hostage. Innocents are killed when terrorists use them as human shields as they did at Haditha. Our military has never, and will never, target civilians in Iraq. The terrorists do that like they did on September 11th. America is the last best hope. To compare our brave fighting forces to Nazi Germany is beyond contempt. You wouldn't understand. You let others keep the freedom so that you don't have to.

Thank God for those who are willing to fight the good fight to keep America safe. Thank God America's freedom doesn't depend on Tom. He can safely hide behind his keyboard and do his Monday morning quarterbacking from the safety of his home.

May God bless our warriors who have given Iraq the ability to have a democracy.

[Tom Welsh]

I never expected any American soldier to be punished for the killing of at least 15 noncombatant civilians, including women and children, in Haditha. Iraqi civilians are blasted out of existence in their own homes, on the streets, even at weddings. They have no right of appeal, no one to argue their case. No one even bothers to count their numbers, although they are now well above 1 million. Yet as soon as an American soldier is accused of a war crime, he is represented by a small army of lawyers. Just like O.J. Simpson, these Marines were never going to be found guilty of anything. As for Bruce, Colin, Proud Patriot and Go USA (shame the last two were too chicken to use their own names), their comments here are indistinguishable from the Nazi philosophy. Might is right, we have the power so you defy us at your peril.

[Colin]

The whole 'massacre' claims smelt funny to begin with. As time went by it became obvious that the media reports were not checking facts - nor were they presenting both sides of the story.

The real shame is that it took a court-martial for the whole story to come out.

I wonder if all of the people who accused these Marines of a 'massacre' will ever have enough character to apologize?

[Go USA!]

These charges should never have been leveled. Time Magazine's "sources" were the insurgents themselves. Murtha used this incident as a political sledge hammer to advance his personal agenda.

Only those wearing the uniform of the United States military are not innocent until proven guilty. What a pity.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

[Richard R.]

Let’s see. A group of Marines is patrolling in Iraq and a roadside bomb kills one of them. They react by stopping a cab that is going by and ordering the passengers and driver out, then shooting all five in cold blood. They then decide to “clear” the houses nearby. “Clear” in this context means, “kill all occupants”. There are fifteen people in the two houses. Ten are women and children. All are murdered. An hour later four brothers are shot to death in a nearby house. But it's all OK with you Proud Patriots! This is not how terrorism is defeated, this is how it is encouraged, and gives ammunition to our enemies.

[Proud Patriot]

This nightmare should never have gone to trial. God help us if our fighting forces must second guess themselves while taking enemy fire in a combat zone. Jack Murtha was the driving force behind this political perseuction.

Time Magazine and Jack Murtha should pay a very heavy price for the false accusations. Hint: Next time don't be so quick to take the word of insurgents who planted "innocents" among terrorists. God bless America! God bless our troops!

[Bryce]

Thank god, those Marines should never have been charged in the first place. It’s ridiculous to send men to a country to murder other men and then charge them with murder. Every Marine and Soldier in Iraq should have refused to fight as soon as they realized their pansy government was going to punish them for doing their job.