New revelations!: The Case Against the Haditha Defendants is Coming Unglued

Defend Our Marines ^ | July 25, 2007 | Nathaniel R. Helms

[RedRover]

I didn't see any reports about closing statements or about the testimony on Monday and Tuesday. I know Lucian Read testified for the defense but have no idea what he said. It's going to make writing our usual summary of testimony a real challenge!

[brityank]

As I said in #49, Conlin didn’t know, and didn’t care.

[brityank]

Sheesh! #40 !!

[StarCMC]

The Case Against the Haditha Defendants is Coming Unglued

The LIES about the Haditha Defendants ARE COMING OUT

would be a more accurate headline I think.

[StarCMC]

Yeah. And the bill for ALL of their lawyers fees should be picked up by Murtha and the media, who had them tried and convicted before it even came to court. My choice words can’t be posted.

[brityank]

I can’t raise that link via my Verizon link and Firefox: Firefox can’t find the server at www.tiny.cc. Can you verify it please?

[RedRover]

Murtha callously used these Marines to help turn Americans against the war in Iraq, and to help tip Congress to the Democrats in 06. Mission accomplished.

[Girlene]

It's taken all this time to come out because NCIS investigators ignored any evidence that was exculpatory.

Hmmm...That sounds like a "cover-up".

[RedRover]

Ditto brityank.

[RedRover]

See post 39.

[RedRover]

That sounds like a "cover-up".

Suppressing evidence, falsifying testimony, unlawfully coercing witnesses...Nothing to see here, move along!

[Lancey Howard]

I agree that the prosecution likely used unethical and possibly criminal tactics to put Mendoza in a tough position, but he’s definitely not any Marine I would want in my foxhole. No sympathy here.

[stylin19a]

Zimmermann subsequently suggested during his examination of Mendoza that the NCIS told Mendoza his citizenship was at stake if he didn’t cooperate.

why couldn't he come right out and ask him this question ?

[stylin19a]

Zimmermann subsequently suggested during his examination of Mendoza that the NCIS told Mendoza his citizenship was at stake if he didn’t cooperate.

why couldn't he come right out and ask him this question ?

[RedRover]

Yeah, I just hate to think what it’s like to spend the rest of your life knowing that you betrayed your own brothers. On the other hand, a guy who could do can probably live with it just fine.

[Girlene]

The "grainy images" that Conlin referred to were the result of compressed images. As has come to light, Conlin was not shown the video in its original state.

Well, if Conlin, the IO for Chessani's hearing was unaware of the Scan Eagle's abilities, why didn't anyone inform him? Did the defense not have this info or uncompressed images available for review? More importantly, did NCIS and the prosecution have the full videos and not provide them to the defense?

[Girlene]

You're right. Lucian Read, the photographer, was supposed to testify. Do you know if he actually testified and was he a prosecution or defense witness?

Here's what he wrote shortly after the hullaballoo began in the media In Haditha

A snippet from his article.....All I knew when that patrol stepped off two days later was what I had been told--that an IED had killed my friend and then they had been fired on, that there had been fighting all over town that day, that a lot of insurgents and civilians had died in the fighting.

The two Iraqis who stepped out to speak with the patrol from the crowd of men at the house where the bodies had been returned to the families volunteered that insurgents lived and worked out of this neighborhood, said they were afraid of them. They asked the Marines to please come and stay here, stay in this neighborhood so that there would be no more fighting.

[RedRover]

He may have and Mendoza denied it. I hope to talk with Zimmermann tomorrow. If I get an answer to that question, I will let you know.

[RedRover]

I don’t understand the process entirely, especially when it comes to evidence that is classified. I do know that NCIS edited the video (only presenting an hour or so of it in chopped up segments that supported their investigation). I can definitely say that the Chessani defense team has a fuller picture now then at the Article 32.

[Gene Eric]

>> In most jurisdictions the court would call that type of behavior coercion, she said.

And politically expedient.

Thanks for the ongoing pings Red!