The most infamous war crime to come out of the Iraq war ended with a whimper. None of the Marines charged ended up facing serious punishment. Here’s a closer look at what the legal rulings mean for the soldiers on the ground and the civilians who have to live among them.

Marine Lt. Col. David Jones sentenced Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich to demotion in rank to private for negligent dereliction of duty for his role in the killing of Iraqi civilians in Haditha, Iraq in 2005.

The biggest war-crimes case out of the war in Iraq came to a close this morning when Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich pleaded guilty to one count of dereliction of duty in the November 2005 deaths of unarmed Iraqi civilians in Haditha.

Following an abrupt two-day break, the trial of Marine Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich resumed today at Camp Pendleton, indicating that Wuterich declined to accept a deal offered by the prosecution.

A deal may be in the works to end the last war crimes trial stemming from the war in Iraq.

It’s a pretty amazing find: 400 pages of Marine interrogations about a 2005 incident in Haditha in which 24 Iraqis … Continue reading →