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 ...
I LIKE YOU.
Human Rights Activist = Leftist Slime!
Freepmail to you. Watch the news for a statement from the Sharratts.
You are spewing flame bait and you know it.
Rumsfeld began trying to prepare this country and our military for just this type of war 20 years ago.
He met a lot of resistance along the way and remained unwaivering. The man is the antithesis of failure.
see post #67
Precisely, COEXER. I'll bet it's more than one.
You are SO very wrong about Rummy and why he left the Bush Administration..
Likely tied in with Al-Queda....they wanted a replay of Vietnam....
Zemo is no more.
Sadder when they act like criminals.
I sincerely hope that is not what happened with these men.
I have read it and do not disagree with you. But you knew that already ....
Heartbreaking day.
Thanks, it seems like there's always at least one. I'll bet he's a Murtha lover.
Damn! he was just getting me worked up.
I think Zemo supports the war effort but was misguided in blaming all the MSMs 'perceptions' of failure at Rumsfelds feet.
I remember seeing all the work you did on this..
I just HATE that they are even charging these guys...
I am glad to see you on this thread.
We may need to refresh our memories on some of the stuff you and Stratasphere posted a while back.
Most likely, "or you WILL lose all your numbers."
I happen to agree with Zemo the newbee. Rumsfeld and the rest of the administration look like a pack of monkeys banging a football. There was no way in hell we should have gone in with anything less than we took to Desert Shield/Storm. We never had enough warfighters on the ground to control Al Anbar and Baghdad once Saddam fell. Falhluja should have been leveled in April of 04. Rumsfeld was an idiot 1st class. I don't care if Shinseki was a Clinton era General, he was right! we needed more friggin troops to get this done right. Now an entire squad of Marines has to fight for their lives in court because the politicaly correct morons at DOD never had the cojones to stand up to Rummy. The reasons for this war were and are still the right and noble thing to do but The planning and execution have been inexcusable. Flame away, I don't care anymore, I'm tired of everyone who cheerleads for Rumsfeld and his idiot cronies. When I retire March 30th, I will be free to finnaly let you all know what I really think about the stupid prosecution of this war.
Semper Fi
Dont worry Mom.
This is mearly justice at work. Its the prosecutions job to level charges.
The charges as stated in the article seem rather weak to me.
It is now the job of the defense to clear the soldiers of wrong doing.
Good luck to them
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., Dec 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. military charged a Marine squad leader with 13 counts of murder in the killings last year of unarmed civilians in Haditha, Iraq, one of the man's defense lawyers said on Thursday.
The charges handed down against Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich carry a maximum penalty of life in prison, but do not include premeditated murder, said attorney Mark Zaid.
Wuterich led a squad at the center of the probe into the Nov. 19, 2005, shooting of 24 unarmed men, women and children in the western Iraqi town. It is one of a series of cases in which U.S. service members have been accused, and in some cases convicted, of involvement in killing civilians.
Zaid said others investigated in the case had yet to receive word from the military on any possible charges, but sources have said at least four other Marines may be charged later on Thursday.
Wuterich was charged in 12 individual deaths, Zaid said, adding that a 13th count involves the deaths of six people.
"I presume these are part of the 12, but it's impossible for me to tell from the charge sheet if that's the case," Zaid told Reuters as he read from the document.
A Marine colonel was scheduled to discuss the case in a press briefing at 1 p.m. (2100 GMT) at Camp Pendleton.
The military investigation has centered on a squad of Marines led by Wuterich, who sued Democratic Rep. John Murtha in August after he said U.S. troops "killed innocent civilians in cold blood."
Capt. Lucas McConnell, who was monitoring fighting in and around Haditha on the day of the incident, also expects to face charges, his attorney has told Reuters. McConnell was not present for the shooting but may be accused of dereliction of duty for his reports on the incident.
Once charged, the defendants are entitled to an Article 32 hearing, in which a military judge would decide if there is enough evidence to convene a court-martial.
Iraqi witnesses say the Marines shot civilians in their homes to retaliate for the death of their comrade, Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas, who was ripped in half by a roadside bomb that exploded under a convoy rolling through Haditha, some 60 miles (96 km) north of Baghdad.
Defense lawyers dispute that version of events and say the men from Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division were engaged in a furious battle in Haditha after the bomb exploded and the civilians may have died during the chaos.
Two probes were launched into Haditha, one centering on the shooting and another into the Marines' procedures afterward.
Earlier this year, U.S. President George W. Bush vowed that any U.S. Marine guilty of shooting Iraqi civilians would be punished. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has called the Haditha killings a "terrible crime." (additional reporting by David Morgan in Washington)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.