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Probe clears US marine accused of Iraqi prisoners' murder
NEW YORK: A military probe has concluded that a US marine accused of killing two unarmed Iraqi prisoners should be cleared of all charges, US news media reported Saturday. Marine Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano was justified when he shot the prisoners on April 15, 2004, a report from the investigating officer has found, according to New York Times and the New York Daily News. Prosecutors had claimed that Pantano, 33, a former Wall Street trader, executed the prisoners as they knelt with their backs turned. He faced a maximum penalty of death on charges of dereliction of duty and murder. But the government "was not able to produce credible evidence or testimony that the killings were premeditated" or even that the prisoners were shot in the back, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Winn, in charge of the investigation, wrote in his report. While Pantano used poor judgment, the shooting was not a crime and fell within the rules of combat in the Sunni Triangle area, Winn wrote. Posted by: Fred 2005-05-15 |
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