|
The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
|
July 16th,
2007 - Hearing Begins in Haditha Case News article by the Associated Press |
|
Hearing Begins in Haditha Case By Thomas Watkins Associated Press July 16, 2007, 9:48PM Camp Pendleton, Calif. - A
Marine charged with murdering two Iraqi girls and killing other civilians in
the town of Haditha believed he was following procedure by confronting a
threat with deadly force, his attorney said Monday. Lance Cpl. Stephen B. Tatum
has acknowledged killing several Iraqis in two houses on Nov. 19, 2005, but
he says he was responding to a legitimate threat. His squad killed 24
civilians in Haditha that day after a roadside bomb killed a Marine nearby. "He was taught that
deadly force is the proper response to a threat," attorney Jack
Zimmerman said of Tatum at the military equivalent of a grand jury hearing. Besides unpremeditated
murder, Tatum is charged with negligent homicide on suspicion that he
unlawfully killed two men, a woman and a young boy. He is also accused of
assaulting another boy and a girl. If convicted of murder, he faces up to
life in prison. After a roadside bomb blast
that killed one Marine, Tatum and several other infantrymen entered two homes
looking for insurgents. Zimmerman said the squad was taking small-arms fire
from around the houses. Staff Sgt. Justin Laughner,
a Marine assigned to photograph the scene days after the killings, said it
appeared several people in one house had died of grenade wounds. He testified
that he found one woman dead on top of a dead boy she had been trying to
shield. The two girls Tatum
allegedly killed were shot to death in the other house. Laughner testified
that he saw the bodies of several women and children who were killed on or
near a bed. The squad leader, Staff Sgt.
Frank Wuterich, is charged with murdering 18 Iraqis, including others in that
room. His preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 22. Laughner testified he saw
bullet casings by the room, many clearly from U.S. guns but some possibly
from an AK-47, a machine gun Iraqis often use. After the Article 32
investigation, hearing officer Lt. Col. Paul Ware will assess the evidence
against Tatum and recommend whether he should face a court-martial. The final
decision rests with Lt. Gen. James Mattis, the general overseeing the
deadliest criminal case to emerge from the war. "Knowing what I know
now, I feel badly about killing Iraqi civilians who may have been
innocent," Tatum told Navy investigators in March 2006. "But I stand
fast in my decisions that day, as I reacted to the threats that I perceived
at that time." Prosecutor Lt. Col. Paul
Atterbury gave the military court copies of rules-of-engagement cards that he
said were supposed to have been distributed to Tatum's unit at the time of
the killing. The cards state that Marines need to positively identify targets
as having a hostile intent before using deadly force, Atterbury said. "Lance Cpl. Tatum
entered a home and participated in the killing of Iraqis who were not
legitimate targets, then entered a second home and participated in the murder
of women and children," Atterbury said. There is no way the
government can prove Tatum had the card at the time, Zimmerman said. Tatum, a native of Edmond,
Okla., is the second of three enlisted Marines in the case to face a hearing
to assess whether his charges should be referred to a court-martial. Last week, an investigating
officer determined the government's evidence against Lance Cpl. Justin L.
Sharratt was insufficient for a court-martial and recommended that Mattis
drop the charges. Tatum's Marine squad went
house to house in Haditha looking for insurgents after the roadside bomb
exploded. According to investigative
documents, Tatum and several other Marines went into one house, where he said
he and Cpl. Hector Salinas threw grenades into a room after hearing what they
thought was the sound of an AK-47 being readied to fire. Wuterich and Lance
Cpl. Humberto Manuel Mendoza then fired into the room. Tatum said he joined in the
firing and shot at least four people at a distance of about 20 feet. He said
he did not positively identify those he shot as insurgents because he
considered the entire house to be hostile. Mendoza has been given
immunity from prosecution and may testify at Tatum's hearing. In another house, Tatum
said, he may have shot as many as five people. He determined the house was
hostile because Wuterich began firing. Aside from the three
enlisted Marines charged with murder, four officers are charged with
dereliction of duty for failing to investigate the deaths. A hearing officer
for Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, the highest-ranking Marine charged, has
recommended he face a court-martial on charges of dereliction of duty and
violating a lawful order for failing to investigate the deaths. External link: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4972923.html Marine charged in Haditha
killings says he followed procedure By Steve Liewer San Diego Union-Tribune July 16, 2007 Camp Pendleton – Marine
Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum was following orders and acting in self-defense when
he helped kill about 10 people in Haditha, Iraq, almost two years ago, his
attorneys said Monday. “Deadly force was the proper
response to a threat to himself and his fellow Marines,” lawyer Jack
Zimmerman said during his opening statement in the pretrial hearing for Tatum
at Camp Pendleton. Tatum is one of three
Marines from Camp Pendleton's Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine
Regiment accused of murdering 24 civilians in the case. Four officers are
charged with failing to properly investigate the killings, which took place
Nov. 19, 2005. Prosecutors said the three
murder suspects went on a rampage against civilians after a bomb struck their
infantry convoy, killing a fellow Marine. The defendants maintain that those
civilians were caught up in legitimate combat between Marines and insurgents. Tatum is charged with two
counts of unpremeditated murder, four counts of negligent homicide and one
count of assault. If convicted, he faces life in prison. The killings involving Tatum
took place in two houses near the site of the bomb blast. Zimmerman said Tatum's squad
leader, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, labeled those homes as hostile because he
believed insurgents were trying to shoot at Marines from there. “We would have chaos on the
battlefield if every lance corporal questioned every order given by a staff
sergeant,” Zimmerman said. In March 2006, Tatum told
investigators that he, Wuterich and other members of the squad stormed into
the first home after hearing the metal-on-metal sound of an AK-47 rifle being
prepped for firing. Wuterich and another Marine
then shot into a room in that house. Tatum said he joined in and shot at
least four people at a distance of about 20 feet. He said he did not
positively identify those he shot as insurgents because he considered the
entire house to be hostile. In a second home, Tatum
said, he may have shot as many as five people. He determined the dwelling was
hostile because Wuterich began firing his weapon. “Knowing what I know now, I
feel badly about killing Iraqi civilians who may have been innocent,” Tatum
said. “But I stand fast in my decisions that day, as I reacted to the threats
that I perceived at that time.” Prosecutors contend that
Tatum didn't follow his training or the military's rules of engagement when
he stormed into the two houses. “Marines have to be held
accountable,” said Lt. Col. Paul Atterbury, the lead prosecutor. He gave the court copies of
rules-of-engagement cards that were supposed to have been distributed to
Tatum's unit. The cards state that Marines need to positively identify
targets as having a hostile intent before using deadly force, Atterbury said. Zimmerman said there was no
way the government could prove Tatum had the card at the time of the Haditha
killings. Lt. Col. Paul Ware is
presiding over the pretrial hearing for Tatum. He will assess the evidence
against Tatum and recommend whether the defendant should face trial. The
final decision rests with Lt. Gen. James Mattis, commanding general of the
1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton. Last week, Ware recommended
that another Haditha defendant charged with murder – Lance Cpl. Justin L.
Sharratt – not face court-martial. Ware questioned the
credibility of Iraqi witnesses. He also said the government's evidence was
insufficient and cited problems with the credibility and interviewing
techniques of military investigators. The Associated Press
contributed to this report. External link: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20070716-1606-bn16tatum.html |