Haven’t heard any predictions but, given the flimsiness of the government’s case, it shouldn’t be more than a week.
In addition to SSgt Laughner, I imagine Col Watt will testify and that could take a whole day. Haven’t heard whether Maj Dinsmore will be allowed to testify. That could take a day as well.
I’d be surprised if it lasted a week since none of 1st Lt. Grayson’s charges have to do with the actual Haditha incident, only the aftermath. SSgt Laughner’s testimony will be an interesting one.
If Dinsmore is not allowed to testify, then that seems like an error in law to me. He was Grayson’s technical chain supervisor and would be the one most knowledgeable of the requirements to delete battlefield pictures that did not have intelligence value. The same as with contraband “war trophies,” the Army takes a dim view of those who take pictures of the dead for reasons of prurient interest.
That these pictures were spread around the battalion demonstrates the validity of the Army’s insistance that this ghoulish practice not be allowed, and it adds credibility to Lt Grayson’s insistence that they be deleted. In my opinion, it really is SSG Laughner who should be in trouble for this. He obviously is the source of all the macabre pictures that were spread around this battalion.