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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings & Torture |
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February 18th,
2009 - Court-Martial Delayed in Fallujah Killings |
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Court-Martial Delayed
in Fallujah Killings By Teri Figueroa North County Times February 18, 2009 Camp Pendleton - A military
judge on Wednesday delayed the start of a court-martial for a Marine accused
of killing enemy prisoners to give the defense a chance to get the same
high-quality expert assistance to which prosecutors have had access. Jury selection was supposed
to begin Tuesday in the court-martial of Sgt. Jermaine Nelson, who has
pleaded not guilty to charges of unpremeditated murder and dereliction of
duty. Prosecutors say he and two
other Marines executed four men they captured during fierce house-to-house
fighting in Fallujah, Iraq, in November 2004. One of the Marines has been
acquitted; the trial for the third Marine starts next month. It is unclear when Nelson's
trial will begin. In deciding Wednesday to postpone the trial, the judge, Lt.
Col. Jeffery Meeks, did not set a new date. The proceedings hit a snag
Tuesday during a pretrial dispute over the doctors tapped to be expert
witnesses in the case. Psychiatrist testimony and
consultation go to the core of the case, because Nelson's defense includes an
argument that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder when his
squad leader allegedly ordered him to kill the prisoner. In military court, the
government provides for both the prosecution and defense. But Nelson's attorneys
argued prosecutors handed them a doctor with marginal qualifications to
discuss PTSD and later snagged an internationally renown expert to be on
their side. External link: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2009/02/18/military/z0e2223850cdfdc17882575620013bbdb.txt |