3 US Marines to be tried for murder in Iraq

Washington, Sept 26: Three US Marines will go on trial on murder charges without the possibility of the death penalty in the April shooting death of an Iraqi man in Hamdania, the US military said today.

An assault charge was dismissed against a fourth Marine in another incident in the same town west of Baghdad, the Marine Corps said in a statement released from Camp Pendleton, California.

Lt Gen James Mattis, the top Marine general in the West Asia, decided that Pfc John Jodkam, Cpl Marshall Magincalda and Lance Cpl Jerry Shumate would face courts-martial on murder charges in the April 26 death of Hashim Ibrahim Awad, according to the statement.

The three Marines had been charged previously. The general decided formally to take the cases to trial after the military held hearings to examine the allegations.

The three were among seven Marines and a Navy medic charged in the case. Mattis decided not to seek the death penalty, the statement said.

The statement said a charge of assault against Lance Cpl Henry Lever in an April 10 incident involving another Iraqi was dismissed and there are no other charges pending against Lever.

REUTERS