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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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January 16th,
2007 - More Plea Agreements may be near in Iraqi Civilian Killing Case |
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More Plea Agreements may be
near in Iraqi Civilian Killing Case By Mark Walker North County Times Tuesday, January 16, 2007 9:49 PM PST North County - As reports
continue to circulate that more plea agreements are near for some of the
remaining Marine Corps defendants charged in the kidnapping and slaying of a
retired Iraqi policeman last year, two of the men are scheduled to appear in
court this week. This morning, Cpl. Marshall
Magincalda is due in a Camp Pendleton courtroom where prosecutors and his
defense attorneys are expected to discuss some of the issues leading up to
his Feb. 1 trial. On Thursday, Cpl. Trent D.
Thomas is slated to be in court so that his attorneys and prosecutors can
resolve unspecified issues in advance of his March 12 trial date. Magincalda and Thomas are
two of the four remaining Camp Pendleton Marines still facing trial in
connection with the April 26 kidnapping and shooting death of 52-year-old
Hashim Ibrahim Awad in Hamdania, Iraq. Also awaiting trial are the squad
leader of the men charged with the killing, Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III, and
Lance Cpl. Robert Pennington. Three other Marines and a
Navy corpsman pleaded guilty last fall to offenses related to the Awad
killing in exchange for prosecutors dropping the more serious kidnapping and
murder charges. Those men are serving jail terms ranging from 12 to 21
months. Defense attorneys reached
Tuesday were refusing comment on reports that two or possibly three of the
remaining defendants had reached or were considering plea agreements in the
case. The Kilo Company squad from
the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment was charged in June with the Awad
killing and all of the men have been in the brig since being returned from
Iraq in May. According to statements from
those who have pleaded guilty, Awad was taken from his home after the squad
failed to find its initial target, a man described as a known insurgent. Awad was bound and gagged
and marched to a makeshift hole dug by the roadside where he was then shot
repeatedly. The squad then placed a shovel and stolen AK 47 assault rifle
next to his body and reported to their superiors that he was an insurgent who
had fired at them and was then killed, the men who have pleaded guilty have
said. The Hamdania homicide is
separate from allegations that four Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 1st
Marine division committed murder and negligent homicide in the deaths of 24
Iraqis in the city of Haditha, Iraq, in November 2005. Besides those four men who
were charged with the Haditha killings in December, four officers face
dereliction of duties and related charges for the way in which that incident
was initially investigated. External link: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/01/17/news/top_stories/1_03_431_16_07.txt |