Questions for Pantano:
Were the two Iraqis you shot walking towards you?
Yes or no.
Did you shoot those two Iraqis in the back?
Yes or no.
Before you ordered those two Iraqis to be uncuffed, did you form the intent to kill them?
Yes or no.
Questions for Coburn:
Did Pantano shoot those Iraqis in the back?
Yes or no.
Were those two Iraqis walking towards Pantano before he shot them?
Yes or no.
Pretty bright line case. If he formed the intent to shoot them before he ordered them uncuffed, then he committed murder. Bottom line. Read MCO 3461. When they are in cuffs, they are assumed to be EPW's and you can't even so much as insult them, let alone shoot them in the back in cold blood.
If they were coming at him, then his actions were completely reasonable and lawful.
Seems to me that it's one or the other.
I don't think it matters which direction they were walking/running in. If they disobeyed an order to halt, then the marine has an obligation (not just a right) to shoot.
I personally don't give a damn how many terrorists our guys kill. The more the better. There's potentially 50-100 million out there that are going to have to die before the appetite for terror subsides. Is the JAG going to do an article 32 on each one? If that's the plan, I would strongly favor closing the JAG and NIS offices and transferring those "shiney" pants bastards into combat units.
As for the dumb SOB Coburn, he'd probably be dead by now if he hadn't had a good platoon leader like Pantano looking out for his ass.