SubscribeNo Murder Charges Filed In Haditha Case
Buried quietly in the Washington Post:
No Murder Charges Filed in Haditha Case
Four Marines to Face Lesser Charges After Two-Year Inquiry Into Iraqi Killings
By Josh White
Friday, January 4, 2008; A05After a two-year investigation into the killings of up to 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq, the Marine Corps has decided that none of the Marines involved in the incident will be charged with murder. Instead, two enlisted Marines and two Marine officers will face trial in coming months for the killings and for failing to investigate them.
The most serious charges have been leveled against Marine Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich, who is scheduled to be arraigned on charges of voluntary manslaughter in California next week, the last step before the case officially moves to trial.
Initially called a massacre by Iraqi residents of Haditha and later characterized as coldblooded murder by a U.S. congressman, the case has turned not on an alleged rampage but on a far more complex analysis of how U.S. troops fight an insurgency in the midst of a population they seek to protect.
The Marine Corps at first charged eight Marines and officers with murder or failing to investigate an apparent war crime. The charges have since been narrowed to four men in the unit, after three were cleared and a fourth was granted immunity to testify…
Public attention to the Haditha case increased in the spring of 2006 when Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) said after briefings from military officials that the Marines had killed civilians “in cold blood.” The killings are among the most infamous of the Iraq war; 69 U.S. troops have been charged in connection with killing Iraqi civilians, and 22 of them have been convicted of murder, negligent homicide or voluntary manslaughter.
Military law experts said the manslaughter charges reflect the military’s reluctance to pursue murder charges because they are hard to win in court — especially as military juries tend to give combat troops the benefit of the doubt. Investigating officers in the cases have recommended lesser charges because they have found that the Marines determined the houses were hostile and believed they could kill everyone inside, more likely a case of recklessness than intent to commit a crime…
Mark Zaid, one of Wuterich’s defense attorneys, said the charges show there was no “massacre” and that the case highlights how difficult it is for U.S. troops to make tough battlefield decisions. He said Wuterich and the other Marines were following their rules of engagement when they shot and killed their targets in Haditha, with unfortunate — but not illegal — consequences.
“Every Marine, period, is trained with the intent to kill,” Zaid said. “What everyone will realize at the end of the day is that the characterization of the events was nothing like reality, that the training the troops on the ground received was primarily responsible for what happened, and that the fog of war sometimes ends up with terrible results.”
Brian Rooney, an attorney for Chessani, said yesterday that Chessani’s trial, scheduled for April, is merely a way for the Marines to show they prosecuted an officer even after they administratively punished at least three senior officers who never ordered an investigation. Military probes blamed Chessani and several others for failing to take civilian deaths seriously.
“It’s clear now that no massacre occurred, yet this legal fiction is moving forward,” Rooney said.
Eugene Fidell, president of the National Institute of Military Justice, said that while the charges against the Marines are still “very serious,” they are not “the bang that people expected at the front end.” Each charge of voluntary manslaughter carries a potential maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Thus ends it.
Public attention to the Haditha case increased in the spring of 2006 when Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) said after briefings from military officials that the Marines had killed civilians “in cold blood.”
This is a blatant lie, of course. As we have previously noted, Mr. Murtha was briefed after his despicable comments.
In a better world Mr. Murtha would be on trial.
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- The Full Murtha - FBI Video Of Abscam Sting
- Murtha Was Briefed After "Cold Blooded" Claim
- Time Magazine Massacred The Truth In Haditha
- Washington Times On Time's Haditha "Massacre"
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37 Responses to “No Murder Charges Filed In Haditha Case”
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January 4th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
“failing to take civilian deaths seriously.”
NO ONE IN OUR MILITARY fail(s) to take civilian deaths seriously.
When I think of Murtha I want to vomit.
January 4th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
This is just depressing for me. I don’t know how a nation that allows this can survive. Imagine being one of those marines. You’re putting your life at risk for your country and some very suspect allegations are made about you. BEFORE any trial or investigation a U.S. congressman is calling you a cold blooded murderer. How could you hope for justice? Imagine the feelings of betrayel.
Murtha and his kind know the propaganda advantage this gives our enemies. Our no-longer-free press knows this too and still jump at the chance to do it.
I am dead serious when I say, I would try Murtha for treason (and more) and hang him right on the congressional lawn. Dead serious. A country cannot survive with that kind of enemy sitting in it’s government.
And I do believe they’re continuing this just to save face. Not investigating a crime that wasn’t?
Who can we put on trial for not investigating this:
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPol.....0113d.html
January 4th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
GNb….The one positive in all this is that these Marines (Warrior Heroes) will sit before a jury of other Marines who have been there/done that. The accused have the best lawyers available, who know the UCMJ inside and out. The Marines who sit in judgement will know that in the long run, they are also on trial for doing their jobs because they could be the next NCO or Officer having to make the decisions those on trial had to make. Let’s hope they make the right decision. If they were to be convicted we can only hope that Bush will do the right thing and pardon them. However, based on our jailed border patrol agents, I don’t have much hope for that happening.
Murtha? A slimebag piece of steaming dog crap. Hanging would be too good for him.
January 4th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Congresscreep Murtha deserves to be beaten to death with shovels. I positively hate that fat pig non human living chunk of elephant turd. I do hope he contracts the most virulent form of staph infection in his mouth, so that it rots from the inside out, like his heart, his mind, and his patriotism. He is worse than an Islamic fundamentalist. At least they have the common sense to kill themselves….something Murtha should think about after he cleanses his hands of the blood of all true Marines. He isnt one. He is an overweight dishonest thieving liar, and should trot out onto the nearest interstate and play “speedbump” with a Kenworth.
January 4th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Warmonger Infidel
I hope you’re right. When I was a soldier I would never worry about such a thing. I at least beleive my officers would have fought for me. But lately I’ve been hearing that the left has infiltrated the military via JAG. I hope I find out different.
BTW, I just heard Huckabee on Sean Hannity say he will pardon Ramos and Campeon if elected.
January 4th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
GNb….I hope I’m right too, but there are no guarantees of course. JAG in the Navy at least has always been full of lefties. They are lawyers after all, most of whom got their law degree paid for by the military for a few years of service afterward. They went to the same law classes taught by the same communist leaning professors as all the other lawyers so why wouldn’t they be just like them?
Good for Huckabee. He’s at least right on that point although I don’t believe he’s a secure borders guy from his record in Arkansas. But credit is due for that statement.
January 4th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
And the apology from Murtha is coming when? (chirp……chirrrp…..chirp…..chirrrp)
The coverage from the MSM? (ominous silence) Hmmm??
The way they carried on about Haditha in the beginning, you would think major good news like this would at least make the rounds.
In the Dhimmi and MSM playbook, silence is golden in their minds concerning our military and Iraq, the friggin’ traitorous b*stards.
I hope this turn of events helps in the young Marine’s lawsuit against Murtha. It certainly can’t hurt!!
January 4th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
” And the apology from Murtha is coming when? (chirp……chirrrp…..chirp…..chirrrp) ”
I will be happy to grab a shovel and help SJ beat it out of him!
January 4th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
We’ll need 3 shovels then DEZ.
January 4th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Make that 4 shovels gentlemen . What and who is murtha catering to ? For what reasons ? Money , power , prestige ? I just can’t connect the dots on this . It makes no sense . Bash our bravest for doing their jobs ? What the hell ?
January 4th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
wirenut….he is catering to his own greed and overblown opinion of his importance. I can’t imagine how it must feel to be a retired (ex) Marine and not ever be able to attend a Marine Corps Birthday Ball. Obviously, it doesn’t bother this POS however. Hey if we keep this up we may have an entire squad of shovelmen.
January 4th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
War , so he gets to keep the gold teeth from the people that are beheaded by the ” people ” he seems
to support ? Wait till they come after his . Treason in its truest form .
My oldest Grandson can only carry a trenching spade , Is that Ok ?
January 4th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
“In a better world Mr. Murtha would be on trial.”
That’s the America I want to live in, SG! After reading the article that GuppyNblue posted, I can’t believe sMurfa hasn’t been on trial a dozen times in his lifetime. How does he look at himself in the mirror everyday?
My heart goes out to the Marines and their families that have gone/are going through this ordeal. I have made donations to help with their defense costs and will continue to help. This is pathetic and ridiculous! :-(
Dez, SJ, WI……… what, no tater sticks? This IS serious! :-)
January 4th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Now tps……sj is our designated whopper chief and if he says shovels, then it’s shovels. And if wirenut’s grandson wants to join in, a trenching spade will do just fine. Actually, I can think of a couple of places the spade would fit nicely.
January 4th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Ahh , WAR, Grandson’s trenching spade is belt fed . Haw -haw .
January 4th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
“{Grandson’s trenching spade is belt fed ”
Nice…..very nice. Maybe a .50 BMG?
January 4th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Maybe a .50 BMG?
What ? You never heard of the “Potato digger” ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.....achine_gun
As to the subject at hand. Yes, Murtha’s mug is up top of this thread and yes he’s a despicable sonofabitch but I think the real villian here is the MSM. You guys all remember when this first started. They convicted those poor bastards in the headlines, the editorials -hell, even the cartoons- within three days. There are still MSM lamebrains out there (the CBC for one) that refer to “massacres like My Lai and Haditha”.
And now that no murder charges are to be laid…?
Coverage ? Hello ?
All we can do now is take what Steve has found for us and spread the word.
And if you ever are lucky enough to get your hands on a reporter in front of a crowd of people -make sure you stick this right up their ass. Publicly. Do it every chance you get.
January 5th, 2008 at 12:09 am
Seabees don’t use no girly boy .30-06 weapons.
January 5th, 2008 at 12:12 am
MSM being what they are, they didn’t take an oath to “Support and Defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic”. Murtha did. Not only when commissioned into the Marine Corps but when he entered Congress. To me, there’s a big difference.
January 5th, 2008 at 12:13 am
Seabees don’t use no girly boy .30-06 weapons.
Marksmen don’t need anything bigger.
(it’s not the size, it’s how you use it :-)
January 5th, 2008 at 12:24 am
“Marksmen don’t need anything bigger.”
Ha Ha….So is that why a McMillan TAC-50 .50BMG sniper rifle was used by Canadian Corporal Rob Furlong to bring off the longest-range confirmed sniper kill in history, when he shot a Taliban insurgent at 2,430 meters (2,657 yards/7,972 feet/1.509 miles) during the 2002 campaign in Afghanistan? Over to you Canadian…….
And who said anything about being a marksman? I told you before I was the Master Chief that couldn’t shoot straight. I need big firepower man.
January 5th, 2008 at 12:27 am
WI, I don’t dispute your point (about Murtha -I happen to like the .30-06 cartridge) but go round up a bunch of average non-S&L Americans,
Ask them:
How many of them have heard about the “massacre at Haditha” ?
Now how many of them have ever heard of Jack Murtha ?
Should you ever encounter Congressmen Murtha, by all means have at him -he deserves it. But if I could only pick one -Murtha or a high-profile newsie- I’d take the newsie every time (granted, I was not a Marine).
January 5th, 2008 at 12:32 am
Well my point is the media breaks no laws doing what they did. At least criminal laws. Now they may be culpable in civil court. It’s disgusting but legal. Murtha on the other hand broke the law in my opinion. Not only federal law, but unwritten Marine law that you don’t throw fellow Marines under the bus. Trust me, after dealing with the media for two years after my grandson was killed, I have no use for them. Any of them.
January 5th, 2008 at 12:32 am
Over to you Canadian…….,
Nope. That’s just fine WI.
Nothing like getting cranky, conservative, retired American senior NCOs to admit on a cranky, conservative US news site that Canadians are the best. LOL.
January 5th, 2008 at 12:34 am
I had to throw you a bone DW…..now come here little puppy….LOL
January 5th, 2008 at 12:40 am
Now you done it - I just peed on the rug !
January 5th, 2008 at 1:12 am
I’ll take the ” 06 ” for versatility any day , and any newsie everyday . Where the hell is any talk bout one of my heroes . WHITE-FLEATHER ? Didn’t he bang the gong on a Vietcong from well over a half mile ? .50 BMG . 93 confirmed . Awesome woodsman and tracker . We are talking old technology here .
Thats one damn gunny this country can be proud of . NEED some help on restoring an old Marlin 30-30 . rifle not carbine . ANYONE .
January 5th, 2008 at 1:20 am
GySgt Hathcock held the record since 1967. 93 confirmed is correct. Not sure what the distance was but he used a .50 M2 BMG. Gysgt Hathcock died in 1999. I’ll bet if he was still alive he would have saluted the canuck for his 1.5 mile shot.
January 5th, 2008 at 1:20 am
Wire, if you’re talking about Carlos Hathcock, yes, he held the record up until 2002. Hell of a shooter.
And a Marine (unlike you-know-who at the top of the thread).
Afraid my Marlin experience is limited to a fairly modern .444. I think 1st or SJ’d be the guys to ask.
January 5th, 2008 at 1:22 am
LOL…beat you DW……now go pee on the floor again…
January 5th, 2008 at 1:23 am
What just a minute there WI, Murtha the turd burglar isn’t a “fellow Marine” or even a “former Marine”. His classification is definitely an “ex-Marine”.
He gave up all claims to being a Marine when he threw his brethren under the bus with absolutely no justification. Granted, the man served his country but he threw all of that out the window when he decided to become a traitorous lying pig, simply for his own perceived political gain.
Just my humble opinion, for what it’s worth.
January 5th, 2008 at 1:26 am
GM….
This is what I posted above….
“I can’t imagine how it must feel to be a retired (ex) Marine and not ever be able to attend a Marine Corps Birthday Ball.”
I’m with you on that one.
January 5th, 2008 at 1:35 am
GySgt Hathcock’s record shot was 2,286 metres or 1.42 miles.
Man…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Hathcock
January 5th, 2008 at 2:26 am
Please don’t leave out woodsman and tracker .
DW , thanks for the link . Truly a great man . I mourn his passing .
January 5th, 2008 at 10:04 am
As his ABSCAM participation and his treasonous Haditha comments grow more faint with the passage of time( for some), John Murtha remains the POS he will no doubt always be.
January 5th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Murtha is in the pocket(book) of Code Pink - isn’t he, along with Piglosi, on a weekly ‘conference’ call to those commie feminazis? Anyway I would definately go - but while I enjoy the image of a beat-down - I’d much prefer the hanging on the Congressional lawn - make a real public statement.
However, the other comment - Murtha should be on trial - just may come true both Ssgt Frank Wurterich and LCPL Sharratt have lawsuits filed against him - while our vaulted (and obviously unbiased) msm can’t seem to find that fact - it does exist.
So hopefully, the Marines will as has been said here - see that the next time - it could be them. And Do the RIght Thing. And someday soon we will see Rep. John’Incoldblood’Murtha paying some of that ill gotten CodePinko money out to decent Marines who were probably set up - but simply attempting to stay alive in a War Zone. . .
January 5th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Code Pink doesn’t worry me half as much as those who are in the pocket of the enemy in Iraq who have found that they can take American soldiers out of combat much easier than killing them, simply by issuing a few press releases and making sure they get to the anti-America Americans. Rep Murtha got info from someone about the incident he got so wrong, America needs to find out where his info came from.
Here’s more on Iraq Reporting
“Scott Horton, who seems to be able to read news articles from “neocon” writers which are devilishly difficult to find for anyone else, recently ran afoul of John Hinderaker at Powerline blog. According to Hinderaker, Horton mischaracterized the case of terrorism suspect and Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein by comparing it to the trial of John Peter Zenger, and engaged in what Hinderaker labeled “a vicious but entirely unsubstantiated libel of the U.S. military” in Horton’s blog at Harper’s.”
“To sum up: Scott Horton claims to have an anonymous “source” inside the Pentagon, who relayed to him the contents of a DOD briefing on the Hussein case. I think this is plainly false. I believe that Horton has a source, but is it a source inside the Pentagon, or inside Hussein’s defense team, headed by Horton’s former law partner? If Horton has a “source” inside the Pentagon, who is it? Is this purported source someone with knowledge of the Hussein case, as Horton claims, or is it just another left-winger regurgitating anti-American talking points?”