Posted on 07/18/2007 4:22:53 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - A military jury on Wednesday convicted a Marine of conspiring to murder an Iraqi man in a bungled attempt to abduct and kill a suspected insurgent in Hamdania.
Cpl. Trent Thomas, 25, was the first of seven Marines and a Navy corpsman to go to trial in the killing, which squad members tried to cover up by planting a gun near the victim after he was gunned down in a ditch.
Thomas faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, according to his defense attorney, Victor Kelley.
While several of the men pleaded guilty in the killing, Thomas withdrew his guilty plea on the eve of sentencing after having an "epiphany." His lawyer claimed Thomas was only following orders, and that repeated bomb blasts had impaired his judgment.
fyi
Didn't work out to well when it was tried at Nurenburg
and that repeated bomb blasts had impaired his judgment.
If that was his best defense, he probably should have stuck with the guilty plea.
article Update
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CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - A military jury on Wednesday convicted a Marine of kidnapping and conspiring to murder an Iraqi man in a bungled attempt to abduct and kill a suspected insurgent in Hamdania.
Cpl. Trent Thomas was acquitted of premeditated murder, making a false official statement and housebreaking. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, according to his defense attorney, Victor Kelley.
Thomas, 25, was the first of seven Marines and a Navy corpsman to go to trial in the killing, which squad members tried to cover up by planting a gun near the victim after he was gunned down in a ditch.
All but two of the others have entered guilty pleas. Thomas withdrew his guilty plea on the eve of sentencing after having an “epiphany.” His lawyer claimed Thomas was only following orders.
Prosecutors said that during a nighttime patrol on April 26, 2006, Thomas’ squad hatched a plan to kidnap and kill a suspected insurgent from his house. When they couldn’t find him, they instead kidnapped a man identified by prosecutors as Hashim Ibrahim Awad, a retired policeman and father of 11 who lived nearby.
Thomas, of Madison, Ill., the senior corporal in the squad and a fireteam leader, led a four-man team to take Awad from his home, prosecutors said.
During the eight-day court-martial, Thomas’ attorneys argued that he was following orders of squad leader Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III. Thomas did not address the court during his trial, but made similar statements when he changed his plea.
The defense also argued that Thomas’ judgment was clouded by brain injuries from repeated explosions. An expert said Thomas witnessed more than 25 bomb blasts during his three tours of Iraq.
Four Marines and a Navy medic pleaded guilty to reduced charges in exchange for their testimony. They received between one and eight years in the brig.
Those troops testified that several squad members took Awad to a ditch and shot him to death. In an attempt to cover up the killing, they placed a shovel and AK-47 by his body to make it look like he was an insurgent planting a bomb.
Cpl. Marshall L. Magincalda’s court-martial is scheduled to begin Friday. Hutchins’ is to begin next week.
Charges against the Marine squad came as another Camp Pendleton unit was under investigation in the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha. In that case — the biggest U.S. criminal case involving civilian deaths to come from the Iraq war — three Marines have been charged with murder and four officers have been charged with failing to investigate the deaths.
STOP THE PRESSES
THIS MARINE WAS NOT CONVICTED OF CONSPIRACY OF MURDER, HE WAS CONVICTED OF CONSPIRACY TO KIDNAP
THIS IS THE SAME CONVICTION THAT HM3 BACOS RECEIVED
HE IS ALREADY HOME
THE NEWSPAPERS GOT IT WRONG
AN EARLY RELEASE FROM ACTIVE DUTY IS EXPECTED WITH A RESPECTABLE DISCHARGE
CAMP PENDLETON IS VERY HAPPY
JUST TO MAKE IT CLEAR, BACOS IS HOME, NOT THOMAS
Please note Race’s Post #6.
Marine acquitted of murder, guilty of other charges
CAMP PENDLETON -- A military jury on Wednesday acquitted a Marine corporal of murder but convicted of him of conspiracy and kidnapping in the 2006 abduction and slaying of a retired Iraqi policeman last year.
Jurors decided that Cpl. Trent D. Thomas, 25, was innocent of the most serious charge of premeditated murder for his part in the April 26 incident that took place in the village of Hamdania.
He still faces a possible life sentence as a result of the conspiracy verdict because of the jury's finding that he participated in the plot that led to the Iraqi's slaying.
Thomas had little visible reaction to the verdict. His wife, Erica, and several family members were in tears moments after the decision was announced shortly after 3:30 p.m.
The verdict was reached during about five hours of deliberation by the panel of three officers and six enlisted men.
Thomas, a married father of two young children, did not testify during his eight-day trial. In February, he had entered a guilty plea, but subsequently withdrew it, contending he was simply following orders from his platoon leader, Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III.
Thomas was one of eight men Camp Pendleton's 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment charged in the slaying of 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad. Five of his squad mates reached plea deals and received sentences ranging from 12 months to eight years in jail.
Jurors will gather again tomorrow to begin deciding the punishment for Thomas, who remains jailed in the base brig.
I’m praying for the guy.
I pray you are right!
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