The Pendleton 8 (Hamdania), 3/5 Marines
By: TERI FIGUEROA - Staff writer
CAMP PENDLETON -- Another of the Marines convicted for a role in the execution of an Iraqi man walked free Friday after a general granted him clemency by slashing his eight-year sentence.
Pvt. Robert Pennington had struck a deal earlier this year, pleading guilty to a role in a kidnap and killing plot that left an Iraqi man dead on the side of a road in the rural village of Hamdania on April 26, 2006.
Eight squad mates from Kilo Company of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment were convicted for playing a role that night.
The decision by Lt. Gen. James Mattis to free Pennington after 15 months in jail leaves only one defendant left behind bars: Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins, who crafted the plan and led his squad through its execution.
Last week, a jury convicted Hutchins of unpremeditated murder and handed him a 15-year prison sentence. Marine officials said Mattis is still considering how to handle Hutchins' case.
Earlier this week, Mattis freed two othe junior Marines convicted in the case, shaving a few months from their sentences.
Two others served their jail time and got out earlier this year. And two others were convicted but released from jail by military juries in recent weeks.
According to testimony from court proceedings, the frustrated squad went after a suspected insurgent believed to be behind roadside bombings and attacks on U.S. troops. When they couldn't get to him, they grabbed and killed his neighbor
In announcing the clemency decision for Pennington, military officials said Mattis took into account that, at the time of the incident, the 21-year-old Pennington was a lance corporal who was neither a squad leader nor a fire team leader. Pennington did not fire his weapon.
The Pendleton 8 (Hamdania), 3/5 Marines