Posted on 12/21/2006 11:03:18 AM PST by areafiftyone
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - A Marine Corps squad leader was charged Thursday with 13 murder counts stemming from the killings of 24 civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha last year, his attorney said.
Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich was charged with 12 counts of murdering individuals and one count of murdering six people by ordering Marines under his charge to "shoot first and ask questions later" when they entered a house, according to charging sheets released by defense attorney Neal Puckett.
As many as eight Marines could be charged in the case, the biggest U.S. criminal case to emerge from the war in Iraq in terms of people killed.
The deaths occurred on Nov. 19, 2005.
Lawyers for two Marines already have said they expect their clients will be charged and it’s believed up to six others could join them.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
For 13 counts of murder? I'd be guessing a firing squad would be formed. That, or a gallows erected. I personally favor the former for a warrior to die, criminal or not.
Exactly, sleuth. Now it's their turn to present their side of a combat action.
From the beginning, Time magazine, Jack Murtha, unnamed (supposed) DOD sources and the majority of the enemedia have declared them guilty, they were not even afforded the completion of the investigations. Their presumption of innocence was ignored.
It's despicable, especially the actions of Congressman Jack Murtha!
Bump!
Sick, sick, sick, sick. How can we expect our soldiers to fight a war so handicapped? The ROE is a f-cking joke!!! The guys who worked for me in Kuwait knew it. Shoot and be wrong and you go to jail. Don't shoot and be wrong and you die. What kind of war is this???
We expect 25 year old men to make life-and-death decisions and we don't back them up????? My anger knows no bounds. :(
Please put me on the ping list.
charging someone with murder in that situation, is like giving out speeding tickets at the Indy 500.
You're on jjm, welcome.
Well newbie ... we'll sit here patiently and see if you actually engage in dialog before you're zotted.
Otherwise we present our collective @$$es for you to kiss.
If I recall correctly the Marine brass announced early on that they weren't going to seek the death penalty.
God help the man!
Because the military has certainly deserted him!!!
I knew a couple of Border Patrol agents who had faith in our government too. They are headed for prison thanks to politics.
I pray that politics won't send these men to Leavenworth.
This is BS, what a clusterf*ck.
The problem is... it's get shot first, then return fire... after you question them nicely. This PC is crap, they need to untie the rules of engagement.
A lot of us here know this is BS; We worked on this for months along with Stratasphere, the milblogs and others.
Pathetic. I am now in the camp of let them fight or bring them home. Though I pray we wake up and fight!
Sites is a POS who should have been fragged, I told him that personally.
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