Posted on 11/13/2007 1:54:07 PM PST by RedRover
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. --A Marine charged with involuntary manslaughter and assault in the killings of Iraqi women and children declined to enter a plea at his arraignment in a military courtroom Tuesday.
Lance Cpl. Stephen B. Tatum will plead not guilty to all charges, which also include reckless endangerment, his lawyer, Jack Zimmerman, said in an interview.
Tatum's court martial is scheduled to begin March 28 in the largest prosecution of U.S. military members to arise from the Iraq war.
Tatum, of Edmond, Okla., is among four enlisted men initially charged with murder for the actions his squad took two years ago in Haditha after a roadside bomb exploded into their convoy, killing one Marine and wounding another.
Squad members killed 24 Iraqi civilians in the bomb's aftermath.
Tatum was referred to a court-martial last month by Lt. Gen. James Mattis despite an investigating officer's finding that the evidence was too weak to prosecute the case.
Tatum, of Edmond, Okla., shot and killed civilians, but "he did so because of his training and the circumstances he was placed in, not to exact revenge and commit murder," Lt. Col. Paul Ware wrote in recommending against a court-martial.
The squad's commanding officer, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, is scheduled to be arraigned Friday on charges of dereliction of duty and violation of a lawful order. Prosecutors say he mishandled the aftermath of the Nov. 19, 2005, shootings.
Chessani is the highest-ranking serviceman to face court-martial involving combat since the Vietnam War.
For the Investigating Officer's recommendation in the Tatum case (that Gen Mattis did not follow), go HERE.
On a related note, today is the first day of the Lt. Andrew Grayson Article 32 hearing. It was scheduled to begin at 1:00 pm PST. You can look for the latest news posted on THIS THREAD throughout the duration of the hearing.
Thanks for bringing me back to the ass backwards world these heroes are living in.
He has been a very successful lawyer here in Houston for many years. He has chosen to defend some REAL dirt-bags, and won.
OTOH, I would want him defending me, if I got in serious trouble.
Sounds like the Marine brass are transitioning from prosecuting the Haditha Marines to persecuting them. I sure hope the accused aren’t having to pay their own legal costs.
three words:
1. Bring
2. It
3. On
In that order. We can let the chips fall where they may.
According to his web site, he served 14 years on active duty in the Marine Corps, including duty as the commanding officer of two artillery batteries in combat, where he earned two Bronze Star medals for heroism and the Purple Heart for wounds in action.
He was lead counsel in the "Dairy Queen Case," the "Water Torture Case", the "Cheerleader Mom" case, and (as counsel for a leader of the Branch Davidian religious group) spent two days inside Mt. Carmel Center at Waco before it was attacked with tanks and CS gas.
I'd like him on my side, too!
It disgusts me that this obscene circus hasn’t been thrown out for the PC left-wing crapfest that it obviously is. Apologize to the Marines, fire the Jags, and win the war.
(Not forgetting to sue murtha’s fat drunken ass for slander)
The Marine Corps pays military lawyers to defend the accused. But the accused need, and have retained, civilian lawyers as well. Civilian representation is a must given the pressure Marine lawyers are under to get somebody convicted.
People can help the these Marines by donating to these defense funds...
Ha! You beat me! I should’ve known!
Hah! Just got back on and there was your ping. :)
“Mattis”
Starting look like another Murtha.
Thank you, General Mattis. Semper Fidelis. What a stand-up guy.
An even longer haul since they have to wait till next spring, I know how the last 4+ months have exhausted me.
Are there any addresses where letters of support and encouragement can be sent?
Perhaps the "journalist" meant "declines to accept slimy, desperate plea bargain deal offered by yet another behind the scuzzball prosecutor bent on destroying the Marine Corps, one plea deal at a time"
>> I don’t get this. How is pleading NOT GUILTY TO ALL CHARGES the same as “declines to enter plea”.
It’s fact shifting. And, you make an excellent point!
Thanks for your post for the Haditha Marines defense funds. The cost of civilian lawyers is staggering. They need all the financial help they can get!
Got anymore fund raising ideas for round 2?
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