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CAMP PENDLETON -- A Marine sergeant accused of being the architect of a plot to kidnap and kill an Iraqi man was in court Tuesday as his attorneys battled for permission to let his jury hear classified military information they say is related to his case. At issue is not the classified nature of the material -- if necessary, the jury could be made up of Marines with security clearance. Rather, the question before a military judge is whether the classified information is relevant in the case of the defendant, Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins against charges that include murder, kidnapping and...

CAMP PENDLETON -- Jurors in the upcoming trial of a Marine corporal accused of killing an Iraqi civilian will be allowed to view computerized aerial maps from the popular Google Earth program to help them see the geographic layout of the scene, a military judge ruled Thursday. "I believe these (images) may actually help the members understand what happened that night," Lt. Col. David M. Jones said. Jones' ruling came during a hearing centered on pretrial issues for Cpl. Trent Thomas, one of eight Camp Pendleton troops accused in the April 26, 2006 slaying of Hashim Ibrahim Awad in the...

Attorneys for the highest-ranking man charged with wrongdoing arising out of the slaying of 24 Iraqi civilians in 2005 are asking Navy Secretary Donald Winter to conduct an investigation of how his agents treated Marine witnesses and suspects. "There are disturbing reports that American servicemen were treated like POWs by their own government," said Richard Thompson, president of the Thomas More Law Center, a Michigan group defending Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani. "This entire investigation has been nothing but a political witch hunt instigated by insurgent propaganda operatives, anti-war media and anti-war politicians." Chessani is charged with dereliction of duty and...

On Wednesday night, at 10PM Eastern, 9 Central, there will be a live blogtalk internet broadcast with 3 of the families of the Marines accused in the Pendleton 8 (Hamdania) incident. This is of the highest importance due to today's and otherrecent revelations of NCIS corruption and intimidation of witnesses and falsification of evidence in court martials.

MANOMET - Kathleen and Lawrence Hutchins Jr. have reached that point in life when things are supposed to be a little easier. Marine Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III, 22, of Plymouth, shown leaving his arraignment hearing Dec. 7 with his wife, Reyna Hutchins, is charged with kidnapping and killing an Iraqi civilian last April 26 in Hamdania, Iraq. (Denis Poroy/Associated Press) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Behind them are decades of hard work. They raised two sons now in their 20s, paid off a mortgage, and after nearly 30 years of marriage still revel in one another's company. It is supposed to be a time...

CAMP PENDLETON -- A Marine sergeant accused of leading his platoon in the slaying of an Iraqi civilian last year allegedly told a government investigator he fired three bullets into the man's head immediately after conducting a "dead check" and discovering the man his squad had just shot multiple times was still alive. Naval Criminal Investigative Service Special Agent James Connolly testified Tuesday that Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III offered the information without any explanation beyond saying the victim was struggling to breathe when he fired the shots.Connolly's testimony came at the opening of a two-day motion hearing for Hutchins, who...

Attorney says agents made up assault case evidence By: MARK WALKER - Staff Writer CAMP PENDLETON ---- A hearing for a Marine officer accused of assaulting an Iraqi was halted Friday after a defense attorney alleged that Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents fabricated portions of statements that led to the charges against the lieutenant. Attorney David Sheldon made the assertion in a Camp Pendleton courtroom on the second day of an Article 32 hearing for 2nd Lt. Nathan Phan. The Sacramento-area native is charged with assaulting three Iraqis and filing a false report in an incident that took place on...

Pendleton 8 murder case could be affected The officer presiding over the Article 32 hearing of Marine Lt. Nathan Phan, accused of assaulting an Iraqi last spring, has “called a halt” to the hearing until three investigators from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service can be brought to court and questioned by both sides of the courtroom about the possibility that they fabricated evidence in an effort to convict Phan on the assault charges. The accusations were made by defense attorney David Sheldon during testimony by witness LCPL Christopher Faulkner. Faulker told the court that a statement the law enforcement agency...

SAN DIEGO — Military prosecutors are close to charging some of the Marines involved in the deaths of 24 civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha last year, the Marine Corps said Tuesday. It is the first time the Corps has said it will file charges in the deaths, which included unarmed women and children and followed the killing of a Marine by a roadside bomb in the town...

The following is a letter from one of the Marines being held in Camp Pendleton, one of the Pendleton 8. Chip in and visit the websites listed on this link http://www.pendleton8.net

SAN DIEGO -- An attorney representing one of eight men accused of kidnapping and murdering an unarmed civilian in the Iraqi village of Hamdania last spring raised a series of concerns Monday night about the fairness of the military justice system, during a forum hosted by the University of San Diego School of Law. Participating in the panel discussion were former military prosecutor Kevin Vienna, former military judge Robert Wities and defense attorney Joseph Casas, who is representing Encinitas resident and Marine Pfc. John Jodka III, one of seven Marines and one Navy corpsman charged in the April 26 death...

CAMP PENDLETON, California (AP) - A Marine charged with kidnapping and murdering an Iraqi man last spring assaulted another man in a separate incident because he made "disparaging remarks" about Marines while in Abu Ghraib prison, a military prosecutor said. The comment was the first public glimpse into an alleged April 10 incident uncovered during the probe into the death of 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad on April 26. Six other Marines have been charged in the murder case. Dressed in a short-sleeved khaki service uniform, Lance Cpl. Jerry E. Shumate Jr. deferred making a plea Friday to the six charges...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- More plea deals may soon emerge in the case of seven Marines facing murder and related charges in the April shooting death of an Iraqi man, attorneys said Wednesday. "I know that there are other people talking," said Jane Siegel, a civilian attorney for the lowest-ranking and least-experienced defendant, Pfc. John Jodka III. The pace of plea discussions has picked up in recent days, fueled by the deal reached by Navy Petty Officer Melson Bacos last week, other sources close to the case said. The next official development takes place Friday, when the arraignment of Lance Cpl....

Petty Officer 3rd Class Melson J. Bacos, flanked by his civilian and military lawyers, walked to his court-martial yesterday at Camp Pendleton, where he told the military judge, "What possessed all of us (that day), I do not know." Frustrated by the repeated release of a suspected terrorist in Iraq, a Camp Pendleton unit decided to enforce its own brand of justice with an execution. So said Petty Officer 3rd Class Melson J. Bacos during his court-martial yesterday at Camp Pendleton. He detailed a sophisticated murder plot that ended with Marines shooting Hashim Ibrahim Awad, a former police officer...

LOS ANGELES -- During two tours of duty in Iraq, Navy corpsman Melson J. Bacos said he experienced everything combat had to offer -- fire fights with insurgents, soldiers dying in his arms, thoughts of whether he'd live another day. Now he's got another unnerving assignment. On Friday, the 21 year old is scheduled to give testimony that military prosecutors hope will help them convict seven Marines accused of kidnapping and murdering an Iraqi man in the town of Hamdania. Bacos, a medic who patrolled with the Marines, will have similar charges dropped in exchange for testimony during his court...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- A Navy corpsman pleaded guilty this morning to two charges for his role in the killing of a 52-year-old civilian in the Iraqi village of Hamdania last spring. Petty Officer 3rd Class Melson Bacos pleaded guilty to conspiracy and kidnapping during a court-martial conducted in a base courtroom before Marine Col. Steven Folsom. Charges of premeditated murder and related offenses were dropped in exchange for the guilty pleas. Bacos is the first of the eight troops from 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment's Kilo Company to plead guilty to an offense arising out of the April 26 slaying...

During two tours of duty in Iraq, Navy corpsman Melson J. Bacos said, he experienced fire fights with insurgents, soldiers dying in his arms, thoughts of whether he'd live another day. Now he has another unnerving assignment. On Friday, the 21-year-old is scheduled to give testimony that military prosecutors hope will help them convict seven Marines accused of kidnapping and murdering an Iraqi man in the town of Hamdania. Bacos, a medic who patrolled with the Marines, will have similar charges dropped in exchange for testimony during his court-martial, his attorney, Jeremiah Sullivan III, told The Associated Press. The military...

NORTH COUNTY ---- The families of eight Camp Pendleton men accused of kidnapping and killing an Iraqi man continue their push to raise money to pay for the men's defense. Donations for the group some have dubbed the "Pendleton 8" have come in from all over the country, sometimes in $10 trickles and other times in heavier outpourings, the families and others say. But the pace of the donations is slowing. Thus far, donations for the legal defense of the men appear to have reached at least $100,000, although that amount is not divided equally among the men. The number...

A Navy corpsman has reportedly reached a deal that would drop a murder charge and allow him to plead guilty to kidnapping and conspiracy in the April death of an Iraqi man, an attorney for one of the men's co-defendants said Tuesday evening. Special Report The reported agreement for Petty Officer Melson Bacos would require he serve no more than 12 months in the brig and would allow the Wisconsin native to stay in the service after that punishment is served, attorney Victor Kelley said. Attempts to reach Marine Corps officials for comment were not immediately successful. A deal would...

A Marine pleaded not guilty Wednesday to murder and kidnapping charges stemming from the death of a civilian man in rural Iraq. Pfc. John J. Jodka III is one of seven Marines and a Navy corpsman charged with kidnapping and murdering 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad last April in the town of Hamdania. He was the first of the eight to be arraigned. The arraignment for Cpl. Marshall L. Magincalda was set for later Wednesday and a third Marine is expected to be arraigned next week. Preliminary hearings for the other troops are expected in coming weeks. At his arraignment, Jodka...