Posted on 01/18/2012 9:25:57 PM PST by Lancey Howard
Discussions were apparently under way Wednesday that could end the ongoing manslaughter trial of Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich for his role in the deaths of two dozen Iraqi civilians in 2005.
With government witnesses waiting to testify, the military judge overseeing the proceedings at Camp Pendleton announced Wednesday afternoon that the trial was on hold while prosecutors and Wuterich's attorneys "explore options" and "go ahead with negotiations."
The judge, Lt. Col. David Jones, also informed the two sides that he was available for consultation if needed.
The sudden disruption in the trial is a strong signal that an agreement that would resolve the case was being discussed. A deal would end the last major war crimes trial arising from the Iraq war.
(Excerpt) Read more at nctimes.com ...
A possible resolution could involve a guilty plea to a minor charge in exchange for manslaughter charges being dropped and little or no punishment.
Mark Walker’s story.
This is actually a pretty lengthy report by Mark, and basically fair.
Some nice touches at the end.
By the way, I am aware that there is no “deal” and that the trial will resume.
Thank goodness. Nothing short of “Not Guilty” on all charges is acceptable.
In a sane world, Wuterich would be promoted and he and his defense team given full financial restitution for the insanity heaped on them by the cowardly panty-waist Pentagon.
Prosecutors are desperate to at least avoid dismissal of all charges before the defense even puts on a case. They’d be better off moving for dismissal rather than being bench-slapped by the judge.
Thanks for keeping us posted. It will be very nice to see the end of this. It is sickening and shameful to watch.
>> Nothing short of “Not Guilty” on all charges is acceptable.
No doubt. The rumors of a deal suggest the prosecution’s case might not be, in its purview, that robust.
Glad to see no “deal” is being considered.
The only deal I could stomach would be a plea bargain: he pleads and is found innocent of all charges, in exchange for a symbolic ceremony in which he gets to piss on the heads of two dozen mannequins dressed up as dead Muslim combatants.
I believe that after five years of this disgraceful and ludicrous fiasco there is an unspoken understanding that the trial must conclude with a verdict from the panel. That’s why the sudden adjournment confuses me. I will take a stab here about what happened (and if it did, it can never be confirmed):
I believe that judge David Jones, upon seeing yet another piece of the prosecution’s case (Mendoza) crash and burn, rolled his eyes and decided he had seen enough. I believe he called a sudden adjournment so he could take the two sides into “chambers” and thoroughly dress down the prosecution and tell them their case was like the clown car at the circus. The clowns never stop coming out of the little car. He then told them to wrap up this embarrassing fiasco as quickly as possible. He may also have asked the Wuterich team if they were even going to bother putting on a defense or go straight to closing arguments.
I strongly suspect that if this circus had not been in town for five long freaking years Jones would direct a verdict of “Not Guilty” and smash his gavel down so hard it splintered, or he would simply dismiss the case outright... and smash his gavel down so hard it splintered.
In any event, I see absolutely no way Wuterich can be convicted of anything. One prosecution witness is known by the panel to have PST and other “issues” (you know, the witness who stated on the stand that he had failed a lie detector test), another witness who claimed she must have gotten “mixed up” about what “hostile” means (this was the woman who gives ROE lectures to deploying Marines), and now a witness who states on the stand that NCIS coerced his prior statement by threatening to deport him.
This trial continues to plod on? Is somebody freaking kidding me?
Interesting perspective, LH. Hopefully Judge Jones is as clear-minded as you suggest.
Good assessment and I hope you’re right.
But he's dead. Killed by his own filth.
In a sane world Murtha and his ilk would have been the ones on trial.In a sane world the man in the White House would Never have gotten to the point where he raised his hand and took an Oath to a US Constitution he has never supported.
Thanks for the ping, maybe Walker sees the handwriting on the wall.
You make valid points about judge Jones and the inept witnesses. I see no way the prosecution can win this case and at this point would hate to see SSgt Wuterich make a deal.
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