US/Iraq

Marine declared not guilty in Haditha killings

Article published on the 2008-06-05 Latest update 2008-06-05 09:03 TU

Marines patrol Haditha, April 2006
(Photo: AFP)

A US Marine officer charged with covering up the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians near the city of Haditha in 2005 was acquitted by a military court on Wednesday. According to a spokesman for the Camp Pendleton military base outside of Los Angeles, a jury declared Lieutenant Andrew Grayson “not guilty on all charges” at the end of a court martial that began 28 May.

Grayson’s was the first trial of the eight soldiers and officers who were initially charged in connection to the shootings on 19 November 2005 in the western al-Anbar province.

Grayson was not present during the killings. He was accused of ordering another soldier to delete photos of the bodies and for lying to investigators.

Witnesses said the Marines shot and killed unarmed civilians after a fellow soldier, Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas, was killed by a roadside bomb. The defence said the civilians were killed during a battle with insurgents.

When the Marines were indicted in 2006, four were charged with murder and four others, including Grayson, were charged with covering up the incident and not investigating properly.

Charges against five of the seven others accused have since been dropped. Squad leader Frank Wuterich, who was initially charged with murder, is now charged with manslaughter. He faces a court-martial later this year, along with Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Chessani is also awaiting trial.