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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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April 25th,
2008 - Trial Recommended for Pendleton Marine in Iraq Slayings |
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Trial Recommended for
Pendleton Marine in Iraq Slayings By Associated Press April 25, 2008 Camp Pendleton, Calif. - A
hearing officer recommended a court-martial for a Marine charged with
murdering an Iraqi detainee captured during fierce house-to-house fighting in
Fallujah, Iraq. Lt. Col. Thomas McCann said
in his findings Wednesday that there is sufficient evidence against Sgt.
Jermaine A. Nelson to order him to trial. Nelson, 26, is one of three
Marines accused of shooting unarmed captives in November 2004 during some of
the heaviest fighting of the war. Nelson has said he was following orders
from his squad leader, Jose Nazario Jr., who is also charged. A final decision on whether
Nelson will face trial now rests with Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland, who oversees
the case as head of Camp Pendleton's 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and
Marine Corps forces in the Middle East. Nelson, of New York, is
charged with a single murder count and five counts of dereliction of duty. He
faces life imprisonment if he is tried and convicted on the murder charge.
The charge does not give the name of the Iraqi who was killed. Nelson's attorney, Joseph
Low, told the North County Times that his client was ready to contest the
charge. "We look forward to the
court-martial so we can tell his story," he said in a story published
Thursday. Low has argued that Nelson
should not be held responsible for obeying what he perceived as an order when
he was in the midst of a combat mission. But prosecutors say he
should be held accountable for following directions from Nazario, who is
charged with two counts of voluntary manslaughter in the killing of two
captives. Because he completed his military service, Nazario, a former
sergeant, is charged in U.S. District Court. A third Marine, Sgt. Ryan
Weemer, was charged last week with murder and dereliction of duty. All were
assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. Copyright © 2008 The
Associated Press. External link: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gJBGkERPk8ZiV1rYMiNrLa2yvSpgD90913KG0 |