What you got to say about that Murtha.RIVERSIDE, California (AFP) - A former US Marine was acquitted of manslaughter here Thursday in the shooting deaths of unarmed Iraqi prisoners during 2004 fighting in Fallujah. Jose Luis Nazario, 28, was found not guilty of all charges after a landmark trial at the US District Court in California, southeast of Los Angeles.
The case was the first time a former serviceman had been tried in a civilian court for actions taken during combat.
Prosecutors told the jury that Nazario had ignored clear rules about how to treat prisoners and ordered the execution-style killing of four "unarmed, submissive, docile" detainees during a house search. Nazario is alleged to have shot dead two of the captives himself before ordering two subordinates to kill the others.
However the prosecution's case was weakened after the two subordinates -- Marines Jermaine Nelson and Ryan Weemer -- refused to testify against Nazario last week and were declared in contempt of court.
The case came to light after Weemer underwent a background screening for a job in the US Secret Service in 2006, and gave details of the incident after being asked if had ever taken part in an unjustified killing. The revelation triggered an investigation by the US Naval Criminal Intelligence Service which saw Nazario's squad mates questioned.