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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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January 19th,
2007 - Marine Pleads Guilty in Slaying of Iraqi Civilian |
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Marine Pleads Guilty in Slaying
of Iraqi Civilian By Rick Rogers San Diego Union-Tribune January 19, 2007 Hashim Ibrahim Awad sensed
something was wrong. The grandfather asked, “Why, mister, why?” as Camp
Pendleton troops led him to a shallow hole last April in Hamdaniya, Iraq. His captors didn't answer.
They instead forced Awad into the hole, bound him and fired dozens of rounds.
Then the unit's sergeant fired three more shots into Awad's head to make sure
he was dead. Yesterday, Cpl. Trent D.
Thomas offered the most complete account to date of Awad's killing. Facing a
judge in a Camp Pendleton courtroom, he finally offered a reason for the
crime. “We wanted to make a
statement that the Marines were sick and tired of being bombed and stuff,”
said Thomas, a 25-year-old who was on his second tour in Iraq when the
incident occurred. He pleaded guilty to
unpremeditated murder and other charges as part of a plea agreement. He also
accepted assault charges connected to a separate incident last year. Thomas, who is scheduled for
sentencing Feb. 6, faces a possible sentence of life in prison. A native of the St. Louis
area, he is one of eight servicemen from the Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th
Marine Regiment accused of kidnapping and executing Awad on April 26. Four other defendants had
pleaded guilty to lesser charges, promising to testify against their fellow
suspects in exchange for reduced prison sentences of less than a year to 21
months. During yesterday's court
hearing, judge Lt. Col. Tracy A. Daly asked Thomas a detailed series of
questions concerning the Awad killing. Thomas repeatedly said he
knew killing Awad was illegal and that he had no reason to think the victim
was guilty of any terrorist activities. “I believe (our actions)
bring discredit to the armed services,” he testified. Then Thomas chronicled the
events leading up to Awad's death. He said Sgt. Lawrence G.
Hutchins III and his men refined a plot to kill a suspected insurgent named
Saleh Gowad as they sat under a palm grove on April 25. If the squad members
couldn't find Gowad, Thomas recalled, they would snatch someone else. Thomas said Hutchins
originally concocted the murder scheme with the approval from unit's
commander, 2nd Lt. Nathan Phan. Hutchins referred to the plan as “Operation
Vigilante,” saying he first intended to take Gowad to a creek and slit his
throat, Thomas testified. Instead, the squad agreed to
snatch Gowad and shoot him. As dusk settled over
Hamdaniya on April 25, Thomas said he, Cpl. Marshall L. Magincalda, Lance
Cpl. Robert B. Pennington and Petty Officer 3rd Class Melson Bacos went looking
for Gowad. They stole a shovel and an AK-47 rifle while making their way to
the man's home and stashed it near a market to use later. After being spotted by a
person in Gowad's home, the four Marines stopped at the house next door. They
awakened Awad and coaxed him to go with them. The captors made Awad march
toward a shallow, roadside hole about 10 minutes from his home, Thomas
testified. The troops planned to push their victim into the hole, kill him
and then plant a shovel and spent casings next to him to make it look like
Awad started a firefight after being discovered planting a bomb. The passing of a U.S.
observation drone sent the group running for cover. After the drone left,
Awad's four snatchers retrieved the shovel and AK-47. That's when Awad
appeared to realize his fate. He began resisting and repeatedly said, “No” as
his captors dragged him onward, Thomas testified. Once at the hole, Thomas
helped bind Awad's hands and feet with plastic ties. At one point, Thomas
recalled, Pennington tried to choke Awad so he would pass out and no longer
struggle. By now, all eight members of
the squad had gathered by the hole. Bacos, the Navy corpsman, turned
hysterical and said the unit's crime would be uncovered, Thomas testified.
But Magincalda allegedly insulted Bacos as being weak and told him to shut
up. Thomas said that minutes
later, shortly before 1:30 a.m. April 26, he and four other Marines shot at
Awad from about 80 yards away. They moved toward the hole while continuing to
fire. Awad moved to one side of
the hole, Thomas testified. Under questioning from Daly, Thomas said he shot Awad
several times in the body from a distance of 10 to 15 feet. But he insisted
that Awad was still alive before Hutchins put the three-shot burst into his
head. After the execution, Thomas
said, Hutchins complimented his men. External link: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20070119-9999-7m19thomas.html |