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The War Profiteers - War Crimes, Kidnappings,
Torture and Big Money |
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August 14th,
2007 - Marine Adviser Recuses Himself from Case |
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Marine Adviser Recuses Himself
from Case Associated Press August 14, 2007 Camp Pendleton, Calif. - A
top legal adviser at Camp Pendleton who was accused of making
"inappropriate and imprudent" comments recused himself from the
case against a Marine charged with murdering Iraqi civilians in Haditha. Lt. Col. Bill Riggs is a
senior legal adviser to the general overseeing the prosecution of five
Marines charged in the slayings. Riggs recused himself from the case against
Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, a military spokesman said Tuesday. His action came after he
contacted Lt. Col. Paul Ware, the investigating officer who had reviewed
evidence against another Marine facing murder charges. Riggs allegedly
criticized the officer for being too stringent in assessing the government's
case against Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt. "He believed my report
... adjudicated facts like in a trial and was interpreted by some as a
declaration that Lance Cpl. Sharratt is innocent," Ware wrote in an Aug.
1 e-mail to several attorneys. "I viewed Lt. Col. Riggs' comments as inappropriate
and imprudent. ... I was ... offended and surprised by this
conversation." After Ware filed his report
about Sharratt, Lt. Gen. James Mattis dismissed all charges against the
Marine. Ware is also assessing
evidence against Tatum, and will be the investigating officer at the upcoming
preliminary hearing for Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, who is accused of
murdering 18 civilians on Nov. 19, 2005. Riggs could not be reached
for comment. He recused himself from the Tatum case "to make sure there
was no appearance of impropriety," Marine spokesman Lt. Col. Sean Gibson
said. Tatum's lawyer Jack
Zimmerman declined to comment on Riggs' recusal. A total of 24 civilians died
when a Marine squad responded to a roadside bomb attack. Four enlisted
Marines were originally charged with murder; prosecutors subsequently dropped
charges against two of them. © 2007 The Associated Press External link: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/5054828.html |