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Statement from Lt. Gen. James Mattis concerning his decision to drop all charges against Capt. Randy Stone in the Haditha murder case. The Marine Corps released his remarks Thursday:"I have thoroughly reviewed and considered all of the evidence surrounding the Haditha incident and Captain Stone's conduct with respect to command reporting of and response to the incident. It is clear to me that any error of omission or commission by Captain Stone does not warrant action under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. "The Article 32 Investigating Officer recommended that the case not be tried at court–martial. I am aware...

<p>In a 7:00 am meeting this morning with defense attorneys and prosecutors, LtGen James Mattis ordered that all charges be dismissed against LCpl Justin Sharratt.</p> <p>Gen Mattis' order for a dismissal follows the recommendation of the investigating officer in LCpl Sharratt's Article 32. A similar decision is expected in the case of a second Marine, charged with dereliction of duty, Capt. Randy W. Stone.</p>

From A Haditha Marine Family- It’s Finally Over At 7:00 PST, 9 August 2007 Justin and his attorney met with a Marine Corps representative in an office at Camp Pendleton, CA. At this time, my son LCpl Justin Sharratt, was handed an official Marine Corps Disposition of Charges document declaring the charges stemming from the 19 November 2005 Haditha engagement have been officially dismissed. The last line of the two page Disposition Of Charges document ended with these words from the General, “And as you have always remained cloaked in the presumption of innocence, with this dismissal of charges, you...

All charges were dropped Thursday against Marine Lance Cpl. Justin L. Sharratt, who had been accused of killing three Iraqi brothers in response to a roadside bomb attack in Haditha in 2005. "The evidence does not support a referral to a court-martial," Lt. Gen. James Mattis wrote in his written decision. Under military law, a commanding general has total jurisdiction over a case. Sharratt, 22, of Canonsburg, Pa., had been charged with murder in the deaths of three of those killed after the bomb attack on Nov. 19, 2005. The decision to drop the charges followed an earlier recommendation from...

I visited John Murtha's Congressional district office in Johnstown yesterday and delivered these emails, as promised, with Darryl Sharrett's on top of the stack. For the benefit of anyone new to this thread: On May 17, 2006, Congressman Murtha said Marines had, "killed innocent civilians in cold blood," in Haditha, Iraq. Darryl Sharratt lives in the district that Congressman Murtha represents. Mr. Sharratt's son, Marine Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt, is under investigation for the November 19, 2005, deaths of civilians in Haditha. The investigating officer has strong recommended that the charges against LCpl Sharratt be dismissed. On July 10, 2007,...

Haditha Marine Dad speaks to John Murtha Throughout this Haditha investigation our family has believed in the innocence of our son L/Cpl Justin Sharratt- we knew he was innocent. There are things I do not understand and I would like to find the answers. We do not seek revenge, but we would like to see justice. In a conversation with Congressman John Murtha, my questions still remain unanswered. With the help of the American people, I hope to find justice. On Wednesday morning, July 17th I spoke with Congressman John Murtha via telephone from his Washington, DC office. We had...

I'll deliver your email to suddenly silent John MurthaYou know the story. On May 17, 2006 -- to celebrate the 6-month anniversary of his first demanding a timetabled withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq -- John Murtha held a press conference in D.C. and stated that Marines in Haditha had, "killed innocent civilians in cold blood." Even before the preliminary investigation had been completed and before the Marines under investigation had a chance to defend themselves, Congressman Murtha used his office to inquire and publicly pronounced them guilty. Last week, the investigating officer recommended that the charges against LCpl Justin...

MERIDEN - Rosemarie Wuterich was ecstatic Thursday after learning of a report that appears to exonerate one of the Marines accused in the November 2005 deaths of 24 men, women and children in Haditha, Iraq. It wasn't about her son, Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich, who is facing 18 murder charges, but the report on Lance Cpl. Justin L. Sharratt includes her son and could help his case. "It's absolutely wonderful," Rosemarie Wuterich said from the west-side home where she and her husband, David, raised Frank and his sister, who were both adopted. "We're so happy for (Sharratt)," she continued....

Marine's Parents Want Murtha Censured for Haditha Remarks By Randy Hall CNSNews.com Staff Writer/Editor July 13, 2007 (CNSNews.com) - The parents of a U.S. Marine accused of killing three Iraqis execution-style in Haditha in late 2005 said Thursday they would ask Congress to censure Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) for saying that the Marines "overreacted" during the incident and killed civilians "in cold blood." "It's too late for an apology," Darryl Sharratt of Canonsburg, Pa., told Cybercast News Service after the hearing officer in the case, Lt. Col. Paul Ware, released an 18-page report recommending that all charges against Sharratt's son,...

Today's Best of the Web contains a nice item noting that the government has dropped its case against one of the Marines accused of murdering Iraqi civilians. They note that John Murtha had adopted the prosecution's view of the world and repeated the accusation, and they now ask whether Murtha will apologize. Says the Journal: "This was the incident in which Rep. John Murtha accused the Marines of killing Iraqis "in cold blood"--a charge, as we noted in May 2006, that was self-contradictory. In November ScrippsNews reported that Cpl. Sharratt's parents were "enraged" with Murtha, who is their congressman. Perhaps...

Snip-CAMP PENDLETON — A hearing officer recommended Tuesday that murder charges be dropped against Marine Lance Cpl. Justin L. Sharratt in the fatal shooting of Iraqi civilians in the western town of Haditha in late November 2005

SAN DIEGO (AP) - The government's case against a Marine accused of fatally shooting Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha lacks sufficient evidence to go to a court-martial and should be dropped, a hearing officer determined. The murder charges were brought against Lance Cpl. Justin L. Sharratt for killing three Iraqi brothers in November 2005. The hearing officer, Lt. Col. Paul Ware, wrote in a report released by the defense Tuesday that those charges were based on unreliable witness accounts, insupportable forensic evidence and questionable legal theories. He also wrote that the case could have dangerous consequences on the...

SAN DIEGO, California (AP) -- An investigating officer has recommended dismissing murder charges against a Marine accused in the slayings of three Iraqi men in a squad action that killed 24 civilians in Haditha, according to a report released Tuesday. The government's theory that Lance Cpl. Justin L. Sharratt had executed the three men was "incredible" and relied on contradictory statements by Iraqis, Lt. Col. Paul Ware said in the report, released by Sharratt's defense attorneys. "To believe the government version of facts is to disregard clear and convincing evidence to the contrary, and sets a dangerous precedent that, in...

Haditha- Our Family’s Thoughts Our son, L/Cpl Justin Sharratt will be exonerated of the charges of three counts of unpremeditated murder in a firefight that occurred in Haditha, Iraq on 19 November 2005. Our family knew these charges were false. Our son, Our Marine was not capable of such acts. Justin was a disciplined Marine, trained to defend his country and the lives of his fellow Marines. Justin supported a singular mission, to defend this great nation of ours.. Throughout this ordeal, the readers of FR and Americans from every corner of the United States have joined us in our...

Key testimony and argumentsDay One / Monday, June 11Quote from opening statements: "The forensics in this case dispel the notion that this was an execution. He's not a murderer. Rather, he's extremely brave." -- Gary Myers, civilian defense attorney[Source: Associated Press]____________________________SSgt. Justin LaughnerHET asset with 2nd CI HUMINT Co. The staff sergeant was one of two HET assets assigned to Kilo Co. on November 19, 2005.There was a great deal of media coverage for SSgt. Laughner's testimony in the Lt. Col. Chessani hearing when he said he felt pressured by Lt. Grayson to erase photographs from his hard drive.But there...

Our son, L/Cpl Justin Sharratt is not a murderer. The media refuses to report the truth about what happened in Haditha on 19 November 2005. The media has blatantly ignored the truth as to what happened in House 4 where 4 Iraqi men were killed. Our son followed his ROE, used his Marine Corps training and survived a firefight when he used lethal force in House 4. Detailed and scientific testimony by two government witnesses, Lt. Col Elizabeth Rouse and NCIS Agent Mark Maloney, showed the forensic evidence disproves all accounts of murder in House 4. The Lt. Col testified...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- A lance corporal charged with murder in the death of three Iraqi brothers in 2005 passed a polygraph examination when asked whether he was being truthful when he said the first man he shot inside a home was holding an AK-47 assault rifle, according to testimony heard this morning. The test administered last spring showed there was no apparent deception in the account provided by Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, said Naval Criminal Investigative Service Special Agent Nayda Mannle. Sharratt is charged with three counts of unpremeditated murder for his role in the deaths of two dozen Iraqi...

CAMP PENDLETON,Calif.-..........Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, 22, son of Darryl and Theresa Sharratt of Canonsburg, was charged with the unpremeditated murder of three Iraqis. Sharratt's parents and his older sister, Jaclyn, who all traveled to Camp Pendleton to support Justin, remain confident he will be proven innocent. They also received encouragement from his civilian lawyer, Gary Myers. "We have been in contact with him, and he believes that Justin will be fully exonerated of all charges," Darryl Sharratt said Thursday night in an interview with the Observer-Reporter. Sharratt characterized the Marines who were charged as scapegoats. "I feel, again, that these...