IRAQ: Civilian jury to decide Marine’s fate

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UPDATE: The jury acquitted defendant Thursday afternoon of all charges after less than six hours of deliberation. Jurors said prosecutors lacked evidence.

A civilian jury in Riverside, Calif., is deciding whether former Marine Sgt. Jose Luis Nazario committed crimes during the first day of the U.S. battle in November 2004 to rout insurgents from Fallouja.

It is the first time a former military personnel has been tried under a law passed in 2000 by Congress. Nazario has pleaded not guilty. He did not testify during the trial but during pre-trial media interviews he denied any role in the deaths of four Iraqis.

But a tape recording played to jurors appeared to show Nazario admitting to Marine Sgt. Jermaine Nelson that he ordered the four killed.

His lawyer told jurors that a conviction will undercut the morale and effectiveness of other troops in warzones. But the prosecutor said failure to convict will damage the moral authority of the U.S. in Iraq and elsewhere.

For more, read today’s Los Angeles Times story ‘Ex-Marine’s case goes to Riverside County jurors.’

--Tony Perry, Riverside

P.S. The Los Angeles Times issues a free daily newsletter with the latest headlines from all over the Middle East, as well as the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. You can subscribe by logging in at the website here, clicking on the box for ‘LA Times updates,’ and then clicking on the ‘World: Mideast’ box.