Attorneys representing Marine Lt. Col Jeffrey Chessani will find out Tuesday June 17, 2008 at 9:00 am PST whether the presiding judge in the “Haditha Massacre” case will grant a defense motion to dismiss his charges because of undue command influence.
Originally, as we reported, the hearing was scheduled for three days, June 16–18. But the presiding judge, Col. Steven Folsom, USMC, has informed counsel that the hearing has been changed to only one hour on Tuesday. The only business the judge will address is his ruling on the defense motion to dismiss.
One hour instead of 3 days....how in the world do we interpret what that means?
It sounds like there’s no need for lengthy explanations or further fact finding.
It’s a cut and dried....dismissed/not dismissed.
Without Helland’s testimony, I don’t see how it could not be dismissed. I would dismiss it with prejudice since there is no place this officer can find an impartial jury.
One of the stunning questions by the prosecution in the Grayson case was asking the prospective jurors if they’d ever read “Nat Helms.” Never a word about having read Time, or heard any of the “Haditha Massacre teaching” that was forced on every Marine, or heard Murtha’s rant, or read of Haditha in the WP/NYT/LAT, etc.
Another stunning admission was Mattis saying that he never thought about “appearance” at all when he had Ewers (the potted plant) as the senior legal advisor in on dozens of Haditha staff meetings. “Appearance” of UCI is the issue.
I’m betting on dismissal with prejudice, but maybe I’m must being overly optimistic. (It would also give leftist Murtha a way out. He’d get to say, “Well they never got to have “the” trial because of legal technicalities in a bungled prosecution.”)
Thanks for the heads-up. One hour sounds just long enough to read a statement into the record.
This Me Lie only had one liar, Murtha!
Pray for W and Our MARINES!