Posted on 06/10/2007 12:25:50 PM PDT by RedRover
Graviss was in the 3rd vehicle with Wuterich and the medic, Whitt. If I recall correctly, the medic, who was tending to Crossan and the other injured Marine, saw small arms fire, Salinas saw flashes, and the Iraqi soldier reported firing from everywhere. The official statement/press release from the USMC charges specifications acknowledged the Marines were taking fire.
Graviss responded, No, to a question on whether it was an ambush. Maybe he didn’t think an IED and small arms fire constituted an ambush? Did he actually ever say in court that he didn’t observe small arms fire?
We’ll have to wait and see what he said exactly. I think the facts are so well established that his testimony is just a curiosity.
This does not even mention the best part. NCIS lost the suitcase containing Jordanian passports and AK-47 that were seized by the Marines.
http://hlime.wordpress.com/tag/haditha/
yojoe
Thanks, yojoe! Welcome to Free Republic. I like you already.
By jingo, I believe I've spotted a trend.
In the Chessani hearing, Sgt Dela Cruz testified against Sgt Wuterich.
In the Stone hearing, Sgt. Justin Laughner testified against Lt Grayson.
Now, in the Sharratt hearing, Former-Marine Graviss is testifying against Sgt Wuterich (or whoever "he" is).
So the prosecution uses a little time in each hearing to give their "star" witnesses a warm-up. That's not going to help with Graviss. He just sounds like a dope.
You are right about the trends. The prosecutors try to get sound bites out about all the other Marines where there won’t be a defense expert to counteract these statements. In the writeup, the “He” sounds like it was referring to Dela Cruz. That’s why I was asking about who asked for this info from Graviss. I couldn’t understand why the prosecution would try to make Dela Cruz look bad.
Well, Graviss is a prosecution witness so I guess the prosecution asked him.
I don’t think “he” means Dela Cruz. We definitely have some pronoun trouble here.
BTW, Girl, do let me know if you spy anything about the Capt McConnell hearing. I believe his hearing is after LCpl Tatum’s but I can’t get confirmation.
Freepmail you’ll really enjoy!
No one knows who the heck he is.
So I'm trying again...
Theresa--Could you show this around and see if this is the right guy? (And, if you see Lt. Grayson, could you please get a better picture of him? Truth to tell, he looks a little light in the loafers here!).
David
What about the photo taken by Lucian Read? Does that one look more like the one you just posted? I’ve recently seen this latest one you just posted in #72, and I agree, it doesn’t look like the old one. Fact is, all three photos look like different guys.
Thanks, Red. I’m going to hold until we get some confirmation on the real pic.
He’s wearing googles in the Lucian Read photo which makes him look like a creepy insectman.
Also, it’s black and white so it looked exta strange with the others.
Let’s see if we can get confirm that we at least got the right guy this time!
A wise move, jaz! My record isn’t so hot!
I’ll take issue with your record not being too hot. :-)
Haditha case officer doubts prosecution claims of execution, San Diego Union Tribune, June 16, 2007
CAMP PENDLETON – The Marine officer who will help decide whether Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt should face trial expressed doubt yesterday about the prosecution's assertions that Sharratt killed defenseless Iraqis execution-style.
Lt. Col. Paul Ware said he was having “a great deal of difficulty understanding the prosecution's theory” that Sharratt and another Marine led four Iraqi men into a house, then executed them Nov. 19, 2005, in the city of Haditha. Ware is scheduled to make his recommendation on whether to court-martial Sharratt by the beginning of next month.
The prosecution's arguments aren't supported by forensic and other evidence, Ware said during the final day of Sharratt's preliminary hearing at Camp Pendleton.
His comments came a day after Sharratt – a member of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment – testified that he and Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich shot the Iraqis in self-defense after at least one of them pointed an AK-47 rifle in their direction.
Forensic evidence suggests that one of the Iraqis was shot while crouching behind a closet door, according to testimony given Thursday by a special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
Also yesterday, the lead prosecutor, Maj. Daren Erikson, said he was unsure whether any Iraqi witnesses would be able or willing to come to the United States to testify should Sharratt be court-martialed.
In interviews last year with military investigators, relatives of the four dead Iraqis said Marines separated those men from the women and children, marched the men into a bedroom and killed them.
The deaths are part of an alleged massacre. Prosecutors contend that during the Haditha incident, members of Kilo Company killed 24 Iraqi civilians as an act of revenge after a fellow Marine was killed in a roadside bomb blast.
In addition to Sharratt and Wuterich, five other Marines face charges ranging from murder to dereliction of duty.
During closing arguments yesterday, one of Sharratt's lawyers said his client killed the Iraqis because they tried to kill him first. Sharratt “doesn't deserve a court-martial, but rather he deserves a medal,” attorney James Culp told Ware.
In contrast, the prosecution cited testimony from several Marines who said Sharratt admitted lying to investigators about what happened that day. Erikson said the evidence reveals that Sharratt and Wuterich took the four men “into a back room, took their weapons under control, then after that they were killed.”
Once Ware makes his recommendation concerning a trial, the final decision rests with Lt. Gen. James Mattis, commander of the Camp Pendleton-based 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.
If Sharratt is court-martialed and convicted of murder, he faces life in prison and a dishonorable discharge.
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