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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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March 26th,
2007 - Judge Denies Second Iraq Trip for Sgt. Hutchins’ Defense Attorneys |
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Judge Denies Second Iraq Trip
for Sgt. Hutchins’ Defense Attorneys By Mark Walker North County Times March 26, 2007 10:48 AM PDT Camp Pendleton - A military
judge this morning rejected a second trip to Iraq for attorneys for a Marine
sergeant accused of masterminding the abducting and shooting death of an
Iraqi man last year. Lt. Col. Jeffrey Meeks ruled
that attorneys for 22-year-old Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III had failed to
demonstrate that the trip would help their client's case and that nothing in
military law required the Marine Corps to provide the trip. Meeks also said that because
U.S. forces are no longer actively patrolling the area around where the
killing took place in the village of Hamdania northwest of Baghdad that the
trip was simply impractical. "Nothing entitles the
defense to use of a military force," Meeks declared, adding such a visit
would occur in a region now declared hostile and likely be fruitless.
"There's been nothing has been shown to this court that would show any
material information can be found in Hamdania." Two of Hutchins attorneys
visited the area in January with security provided by a Marine escort but had
only 45 minutes to see where the Iraqi, Hashim Ibrahim Awad, was killed. The
short visit also did not allow the attorneys to interview any potential
witnesses. Meeks also formalized an
earlier preliminary ruling allow prosecutors to introduce incriminating
statements made by Hutchins to investigators in Iraq shortly after the April
26 slaying of Awad. Hutchins is now slated to go
on trial on July 16. A two-day motions hearing is set for June 11-12, during
which he is expected to enter a formal plea to the murder, kidnapping,
conspiracy and other offenses he faces. Hutchins also is accused of
assaulting three Iraqis in a separate incident. He and seven other men he
led from a Camp Pendleton 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment squad were
charged with the killing. Five of his co-defendants have pleaded guilty in
negotiated agreements with prosecutors and received jail terms ranging from
12 months to years. See Tuesday's North County
Times for a complete report on today's hearing. External link: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/03/26/news/top_stories/32507193841.txt |