Military judge dismisses charges in Haditha case
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- A military judge dismissed charges Tuesday against a Marine officer accused of failing to investigate the killings of 24 Iraqis.
Col. Steven Folsom dismissed charges against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani after finding that a four-star general overseeing the case was improperly influenced by an investigator probing the November 2005 shootings by a Marine squad in Haditha.
"Unlawful command influence is the mortal enemy of military justice," Folsom said. "In order to restore the public confidence, we need to take it back. We need to turn the clock back."
Chessani, of Rangely, Colo., was the highest-ranking officer to face a combat-related court-martial since the Vietnam War.
The charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning they can be refiled, but Folsom barred Marine Forces Central Command from future involvement in the
case.
Of eight Marines originally charged in the case, only one is still facing prosecution in the biggest U.S. criminal prosecution involving Iraqi deaths to come out of the war.
Uncle Jimbo at Blackfive writes:
This was the only fair outcome and LTC Chessani whould bear no burden because of this. The situation became very politically-charged and LTC he got caught up in that.
So after charging almost everyone involved or even in country, all charges have been dropped save one set. Those against SSGT Wuterich remain and he is still in serious jeopardy and could possibly be convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter. I covered this
case extensively here and the Defend Our Marines site deserves a freakin' Pulitzer for their tireless work.
When will John "Semper I" Murtha apologize?
No comments:
Post a Comment