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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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January 23rd,
2008 - Marine Does not Enter Plea in Haditha Killings Case |
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Marine Does not Enter Plea
in Haditha Killings Case By Chelsea J. Carter Associated Press January 23rd, 2008 San Diego - A Marine Corps
intelligence officer was arraigned in military court Wednesday on charges
that he ordered the destruction of photographs of Iraqi civilians who were
killed in a 2005 assault in the town of Haditha. First Lt. Andrew Grayson did
not enter a plea at Camp Pendleton, and the judge set a May 28 court-martial
for Grayson to face charges of making false official statements, obstruction
of justice and attempting to fraudulently separate from the Marine Corps. Investigators say Grayson of
Springboro, Ohio, was not present at the scene of the Haditha killings but is
accused of telling a sergeant to delete photographs of the dead from his
digital camera. The killings of 24 Iraqi
men, women and children occurred Nov. 19, 2005, in Haditha, Iraq, after a
roadside bomb hit a Marine convoy, killing the driver of a Humvee and
wounding two other Marines. It has resulted in the biggest U.S. criminal
prosecution involving civilian deaths in the Iraq war. Four enlisted Marines were
initially charged with murder in the case, and four officers were charged
with failing to investigate the deaths. Charges against several of the men
have been dropped, and none will face murder charges. A court-martial for Lance
Cpl. Stephen B. Tatum, charged with involuntary manslaughter and assault, is
scheduled to begin March 28. Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich,
27, of Meriden, Conn., faces court-martial on March 3 on charges that include
aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, dereliction of duty and
obstruction of justice. Also still facing
court-martial on April 28 is Lt. Col. Jeffrey R. Chessani, who has been
charged with dereliction of duty and violation of a lawful order on
allegations he mishandled the aftermath of the shooting deaths. Chessani, of
Rangely, Colo., was a battalion commander. External link: http://www.orovillemr.com/news/ci_8055609 |