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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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September 10th,
2007 - Marine Charged in Haditha Case Rejects Plea Deal |
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Marine Charged
in Haditha Case Rejects Plea Deal By Thomas Watkins Associated Press September 10, 2007 Los Angeles - A Marine
officer accused of failing to investigate Iraqi civilian deaths in Haditha
rejected a plea deal under which his charges would have been dismissed in
exchange for an admission that he covered up the killings, his attorney said
Monday. First Lt. Andrew Grayson is
one of four Camp Pendleton officers who were charged with dereliction of duty
on suspicion that they failed to probe the Nov. 19, 2005, assault that left
24 Iraqis dead. Attorney Joseph Casas said
Grayson has done nothing wrong, and the Marine said taking the deal would
have been like selling his integrity. "I was asked by the
prosecution to fall on my sword for the greater good of the Marine
Corps," Grayson, 26, of Springboro, Ohio, said in a brief e-mail
statement to The Associated Press. "The prosecution wanted me to distort
the truth to fit their end goal." The killings occurred after
a military convoy was hit by a roadside bomb that fatally wounded a Marine
driver. Members of a Marine squad shot five men by a car, then killed 19
others as they cleared several houses in hopes of finding whomever set off
the bomb. Grayson, an intelligence
officer, is accused of telling a sergeant to delete photographs of the dead
from his digital camera. He also faces charges of making a false official
statement and obstructing justice. The deal would have required
Grayson to make a statement at a special, nonjudicial hearing admitting that
he tried to cover up the killings, Casas said. Typically, such admissions can
result in a letter of reprimand or lost pay and effectively end a Marine's
career. Lt. Col. Sean Sullivan, the
government's lead prosecutor in the case, discussed a potential deal with
Grayson, Casas said. Sullivan, reached for comment at his Camp Pendleton
office, said military regulations prohibit him from discussing the case. Four enlisted Marines were
originally charged with murder, and four officers were charged with failing
to investigate. So far, charges have been dismissed against two of the
enlisted Marines and one officer. Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani,
the highest-ranking of the officers, has been recommended for a
court-martial, but no final decision has been made by a general who oversees
the cases. Instead of taking the deal,
Grayson will likely face a preliminary hearing in November, his attorney
said. An officer overseeing the hearing could either recommend charges be
dismissed or recommend he go to trial. The top general at Camp Pendleton
would make the final decision. External link: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5124247.html |