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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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March 7th,
2007 - First Serviceman Convicted in Hamdaniya Killing to Leave Prison News article by the San Diego Union-Tribune |
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First Serviceman Convicted
in Hamdaniya Killing to Leave Prison By Rick Rogers San Diego Union-Tribune March 7, 2007 The first defendant to plead
guilty to his role in last year's kidnapping and murder of a man in
Hamdaniya, Iraq, is scheduled to leave prison Thursday. Navy Hospitalman Melson J.
Bacos is one of eight Camp Pendleton servicemen accused of carrying out a
plot that led to the April 26 death of Hashim Ibrahim Awad. As part of a plea
agreement in October, he was sentenced to less than a year in the brig and required
to testify against his co-defendants. He is getting credit for
good behavior and time served since May, when the military began
investigating the Hamdaniya incident. Bacos, 21, is expected to resume his
duties as a corpsman upon his release from the brig at Miramar Marine Corps
Air Station. “Melson Bacos is looking
forward to spending time with his wife and baby daughter,” said Lt. Col.
Scott B. Jack, one of Bacos' attorneys. Four other Hamdaniya
defendants have signed plea agreements with the Marine Corps, resulting in
prison sentences of up to 8 years. They and Bacos testified that members of
the Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment decided to snatch Saleh
Gowad, a suspected insurgent, and kill him to instill fear among their enemies. When the unit couldn't
kidnap Gowad, it settled for his neighbor Awad, a grandfather and retired
policeman whom U.S. military officials have described as having no known ties
to insurgents. The servicemen took Awad to
a roadside hole, bound and gagged him, then shot him to death, Bacos and
several other defendants said. They also acknowledged trying to disguise the
crime as a firefight that Awad started when he was discovered planting a
roadside bomb. Prosecutors, Bacos and other
defendants have said Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins III masterminded the abduction
and execution plot. Hutchins is awaiting trial, as are corporals Trent D.
Thomas and Marshall L. Magincalda. On Tuesday, a military judge
ruled that prosecutors can use alleged confessions made by Thomas as evidence
during future court proceedings. Thomas made the self-incriminating
statements during interrogation in Iraq shortly after Awad's death, said
agents for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. In January, Thomas pleaded
guilty to unpremeditated murder and other charges as part of a plea
agreement. But during his sentencing hearinglast month, Thomas stunned the
judge by withdrawing his guilty plea. External link: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20070307-1229-bn07hamda.html Metro East Marine loses Iraq
murder ruling Associated Press March 7, 2007 Camp Pendleton, Calif. - A
military judge has ruled that statements made by a Marine corporal charged
with kidnapping and murdering an Iraqi man can be used at trial, the Marine
Corps said Tuesday. Cpl. Trent D. Thomas, 25, of
Madison, Ill., was part of a squad of seven Marines and a Navy corpsman
charged last year with the killing of Hashim Ibrahim Awad in the Iraqi town
of Hamdania. Prosecutors say Awad was killed after the squad was unable to
find an insurgent suspected of planting bombs. Five of the squad members
have since pleaded guilty to reduced charges after reaching deals with
prosecutors. Thomas originally pleaded
guilty to murder and other charges but later withdrew the pleas before
sentencing, saying he believed he had been following a lawful order. At Thomas' arraignment last
week, his lawyers said statements he had given to investigators after the
killing should be barred from court. But a military judge has ruled that the
statements are admissible, said a Camp Pendleton spokesman, Maj. Jeff Nyhart. The military judge also
denied Thomas' request for a new pretrial hearing, known as an Article 32. In withdrawing his guilty
plea, Thomas blamed the squad's leader, Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins III. Thomas
said his sergeant had ordered the squad to carry out the killing. Hutchins' attorney has said
his client is innocent until proven guilty. Thomas' court-martial has
been tentatively set for June. He could face life in prison. External link: http://tinyurl.com/ywysm4 |