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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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April 17th,
2007 - All Charges Dropped Against Chicago Marine in Haditha Killings |
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All Charges Dropped Against
Chicago Marine in Haditha Killings By Thomas Watkins Associated Press April 17, 2007 Los Angeles - The Marine
Corps has dropped all charges against a sergeant and granted him immunity in
exchange for his testimony against fellow Marines accused of killing 24
civilians in Haditha, the deadliest criminal case to arise from the Iraq war. Sgt. Sanick P. Dela Cruz,
24, had been charged with unpremeditated murder in the death of five Iraq
civilians. Lt. Gen. James Mattis, who
announced the deal Tuesday, said the charges against Dela Cruz had been
dismissed April 2. Dela Cruz has been given immunity but must testify in
upcoming hearings, the Marines said. “Dela Cruz is required to
testify,” Marine spokesman Lt. Col. Sean Gibson said. Four enlisted Marines were
charged in December with unpremeditated murder in the deaths of 24 Iraqi
civilians, and four officers were charged for failing to investigate the
deaths adequately. Aside from the murder
charge, Dela Cruz faced one charge of making a false official statement with
intent to deceive. He faced a possible life sentence, dishonorable discharge,
dismissal and forfeiture of pay. On Nov. 19, 2005, a Camp
Pendleton-based Marine squad was running a mission in Haditha when its convoy
was rocked by a roadside bomb blast and one Marine was killed. In the aftermath of the
explosion, troops killed 24 Iraqis. The Marine Corps announced
the charges in December, but there still have been no preliminary hearings
and no court dates have been finalized. What would have been the first
hearing in the case, for another Marine accused of murder, was recently
delayed at the government's request. Dela Cruz is the first
Marine to make a deal with the government in the case. His testimony will
likely form a vital part of the prosecution's case. In an unrelated criminal
case against eight troops from a different Marine squad accused of murdering
an Iraqi civilian, prosecutors cut deals with five of them where they were
offered reduced charges and sentences in return for testifying against the
squad's leaders. External link:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20070417-1319-ca-marines-haditha.html |