Crimes Against Iraqi Civilians
Haditha: November, 2005: 24 Civilians Killed
November 2005: 24 Iraqi civilians are shot to death in Haditha.
March 19, 2006: Time publishes story entitled "One Morning in Haditha" and for the first time top U.S. officials are made aware of the
suspicious circumstances surrounding the 24 deaths.
March, 2006: Haditha investigation conducted by Naval Criminal Investigative Service begins.
May 26, 2006: Military official states that the investigation begun in March as to the 24 deaths of Iraqi civilian deaths showed that the civilians were
possibly murdered by Marines.
June 1, 2006: A military officer reports that the Marine squad leader originally falsely told officials that the civilians in Haditha were killed by a bomb, which caused the
time lag between the incident and the beginning of the military's investigation.
June 2, 2006: Naval Criminal Investigative Service exhumes 24 bodies of victims killed in Haditha.
June 11, 2006: Washington Post reports that U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich, commander of the platoon implicated in the Haditha killings, told his lawyer that his unit
followed the rules of engagement and did not intentionally kill civilians.
June 22, 2006: The Bargewell report is released stating that while commanders did miss some 'red flags,' there was
no deliberate cover-up of the Haditha civilian killings.
July 8, 2006: Senior U.S. Iraq general finds marine
commanders negligent in their investigation of the Haditha killings.
August 2, 2006: A Pentagon official indicates that preliminary investigation into the Haditha killings tends to show that the
civilians were murdered.
August 18, 2006: Military officials tell
NY Times that U.S. marines involved in the Haditha killings
concealed and destroyed evidence.
August 19, 2006: The
Washington Post reports that the Marine commander in charge of the battalion implicated in the civilian deaths did not order an
immediate investigation into the deaths because he did not suspect any wrongdoing.
December 6, 2006: The US military announces
plans to charge at least five US Marines in connection with the Haditha murders.
December 19, 2006: A lawyer for a US Marine Capt. Lucas McConnell, implicated in the Haditha deaths, says that his client has been informed that he will
face criminal charges.
December 21, 2006: Staff Sgt. Wuterich is
charged with 13 counts of murder.
January 6, 2007: A
NCIS report obtained by the
Washington Post states that Staff Sgt. Wuterich shot five unarmed Iraqi civilians in Haditha last November.
January 16, 2007: Attorneys for Staff Sgt. Wuterich ask Marine Lt. Gen. James Mattis to launch an investigation into the
leak of a NCIS report covered by the
Washington Post.
January 30, 2007: The Marine Corps announces it will launch an
investigation into the leak of a NCIS report on the killing.
April 22, 2007: The
Washington Post reports on a report by US Army Major General Eldon Bargewell that found
"serious misconduct" on all levels of the US Marine Corps chain of command.
May 8, 2007: US Marine legal adviser Capt. Randy W. Stone, charged with
failure to properly report and investigate the killings, appears before a military panel that will decide whether the charges should go to court-martial.
May 9, 2007: 1st Sergeant Albert Espinosa testifies that Capt. Stone and others repeatedly
ignored his requests to launch an investigation.
May 11, 2007: Maj. Gen. Richard A. Huck, testifying at the Article 32 hearing for Capt. Stone, tells the panel that his
staff failed to inform him of allegations that the civilians may have been killed in violation of the law of armed conflict.
May 15, 2007: Marine Col. John Ewers testifies that Capt. Stone
did not commit a criminal dereliction of duty in his failure to investigate the killings because he was not asked by his commander to do an investigation.
May 16, 2007: Capt. Stone testifies that he did not launch an investigation because he
believed that the killings occurred within the bounds of lawful combat.
May 30, 2007: Marine Lt. Col. Jeffrey R. Chessani, commander of the battalion that was accused of the killings, goes before an
Article 32 hearing that will determine if he will face a court-martial.
June 8, 2007: Marine Staff Sgt. Justin Laughner testifies that a superior officer, Lt. Andrew Grayson, ordered him to delete
photographic evidence taken hours after the killings.
June 10, 2007: A US military investigator recommends that Capt. Stone
not face court-martial for his failure to launch a probe into the killings.
July 11, 2007: A military investigating officer
recommends dropping all charges against Lance Cpl. Justin L. Sharratt, saying that witness testimony was unreliable and that forensic evidence tended to support Sharratt's version of the events.
July 12, 2007: An investigating officer recommends that Lt. Col. Chessani face a
court-martial for dereliction of duty and violation of a lawful order.
July 16, 2007: Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, charged with unpremeditated murder, negligent homicide, and assault, admits to killing Iraqis at Haditha but
says he was acting pursuant to proper military protocol.
August 24, 2007: Marine investigator Lt. Col. Paul Ware
recommends that murder charges be dropped against Lance Cpl. Tatum, saying that there is insufficient evidence to support bringing Tatum to court-martial.
August 30, 2007: A preliminary hearing begins in
proceedings against Staff Sgt. Wuterich on charges of unpremeditated murder, soliciting another to commit an offense, and making a false official statement.
September 6, 2007: Maj. Gen. Huck, Col. Stephen W. Davis, and Col. Robert G. Sokoloski receive
letters of censure for improper performance of duties related to the reporting and investigation of the killings.
September 11, 2007: A lawyer for First Lt. Grayson, accused of mishandling an investigation, says that Grayson has
rejected a plea offer from military prosecutors requiring him to admit attempting to cover up the killings in exchange for prosecutors dropping all charges.
September 18, 2007: Marine Lt. Gen. James Mattis orders that
charges be dismissed against Capt. Lucas McConnell for failing to report the killings, in exchange for his cooperation in prosecutions against other accused service members.
October 5, 2007: The officer investigating Staff Sgt. Wuterich recommends that Wuterich not face unpremeditated murder charges but instead be tried for
negligent homicide.
October 20, 2007: Two Marines, Lt. Col. Chessani and Lance Cpl. Tatum, are ordered to face
court-martial hearings for their actions in connection with the killings.
November 13, 2007: Lance Cpl. Tatum
declines to enter a plea at his arraignment on charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and aggravated assault.
November 16, 2007: Lt. Col. Chessani
defers his plea on charges of dereliction of duty and violation of a lawful order.
December 31, 2007: Staff Sgt. Wuterich is ordered to face
court-martial on charges of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, dereliction of duty, and obstruction of justice.
January 24, 2008: During the arraignment of 1st Lt. Grayson, the military judge sets a May 28 date for Grayson’s
court-martial on charges of making false official statements and obstruction of justice.
February 14, 2008: The Marine Corps orders Lance Cpl. Tatum to
testify against Staff Sgt. Wuterich about the killings.
February 20, 2008: Lawyers for Lt. Col. Chessani file motions requesting that the
charges in connection with the killings be dropped.
March 1, 2008: The court-martial of Staff Sgt. Wuterich is
postponed indefinitely to allow prosecutors time to appeal a judge's decision to throw out a subpoena for unaired footage from a CBS interview with Wuterich.
March 28, 2008: Military prosecutors
drop all charges against Lance Cpl. Tatum.
April 16, 2008: A military judge
postpones the court-martial for Lt. Col. Chessani.
May 29, 2008: The
court-martial of 1st Lt. Grayson begins, charging Grayson with multiple violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including making a false official statement, obstructing justice, and dereliction of duty.
June 4, 2008: A military judge
dismisses one count of obstruction of justice against 1st Lt. Grayson.
June 5, 2008: A court-martial panel
acquits 1st Lt. Grayson of all charges.
June 17, 2008: A military judge
drops charges against US Marine battalion commander Lt. Col. Chessani.
Ishaqi: March, 2006: 11 Civilians Killed
March 2006: Iraqi policemen allege that U.S. soldiers killed eleven civilians in their home in Ishaqi days before. U.S. forces say that they approached the house to arrest an al Qaeda suspect and only fired after being fired upon.
March 21, 2006: A military spokesman announces that the U.S. Military is
investigating the allegations that U.S. troops killed 11 civilians in their home last week.
June 2, 2006: U.S. military officials say their investigation into the Ishaqi deaths showed that there was
no misconduct by troops, further stating that the Army Criminal Investigation Command had reviewed those results and agreed no further investigation was necessary.
June 3, 2006: The Iraqi government announces that it will
open its own investigation into the civilian deaths at Ishaqi after being dissasitisfed by the U.S. military's report that all U.S. soldiers accused of wrongdoing had been cleared.
Mahmudiya: March, 2006: Rape and Murder of Civilian and 3 Family Members
March 12, 2006: A 14 year old Iraqi civilian girl is raped and her family is murdered. 5 U.S. soldiers are later implicated.
July 3, 2006: Former U.S. soldier Steven Green
is charged with rape and murder in federal court in connection with the Muhmadiya rape and murders.
July 9, 2006: The U.S. Defense Department announces that
four US soldiers are charged with murder and rape and a fifth soldier is charged with dereliction of duty.
July 10, 2006: The U.S. Military releases
the identities of the soldiers charged in the Mahmudiya case.
July 6, 2006: Former soldier Steven Green, who was discharged before the Mahmudiya allegations arose,
pleads not guilty to rape and murder charges in federal court.
July 31, 2006: The U.S. Military
bans the media from viewing the witness testimony in the Article 32 hearings in the Mahmudiya case.
August 6, 2006: An Article 32 hearing for five U.S. soldiers implicated in the Mahmudiya rape and murders begins.
August 22, 2006: Dissatisfied Iraqi officials'
independent inquiry into the rape and murders in Mahmudiya begins.
October 18, 2006: Military officials announce that the four U.S .soldiers implicated in the Mahmudiya rape and murder case will be
court-martialed. Two of the four soldiers, Pfc. Jesse Spielman and Sgt. Paul Cortez, are eligible to receive the death penalty if convicted of the murders.
November 15, 2006: US Army Spc. James P. Barker
pleads guilty to charges and will be spared from capital punishment as a result of the plea and because he agreed to testify against the other soldiers implicated in the incident.
November 16, 2006: Spc. Barker is
sentenced to no more than 90 years in prison. Barker's effective life sentence, which has the possibility of parole, came in exchange for his testimony.
January 10, 2007: The AP reports that Army Pfc. Green, who pleaded not guilty to rape and murder charges, had been
diagnosed as a homicidal threat three months before the events at Mahmudiya.
January 19, 2007: Attorney for Sgt. Cortez says Cortez will
plead guilty to rape and premeditated murder.
February 21, 2007: Sgt. Cortez
pleads guilty rape and murder charges as part of a plea agreement.
February 23, 2007: Sgt. Cortez receives a
100-year prison sentence for his guilty plea to felony murder, rape and conspiracy to rape. His plea agreement requires that he testify against others involved in the incident but allowed him to avoid the death penalty.
March 21, 2007: Pfc. Bryan Howard
pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit rape and premeditated murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
July 3, 2007: Prosecutors say Steven D. Green, former US soldier and the alleged key player in the rape-murder case,
may face the death penalty.
July 30, 2007: The
court-martial of the last US Army serviceman charged in the rape-murder case, Pfc. Jesse Spielman, begins.
August 4, 2007: Pfc. Spielman is
convicted of four counts of felony murder, rape, conspiracy to commit rape, and housebreaking with intent to commit rape.
December 19, 2007: A
trial for former Pfc. Green is scheduled for April 13, 2009.
March 24, 2008: Federal prosecutors argue in a motion that former Pfc. Green
should be prosecuted in civilian court under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act and not under the military system of justice.
May 16, 2008: Two motions filed indicate that former Pfc. Green may raise an
insanity defense at his scheduled 2009 civilian trial.
August 27, 2008: A federal judge
rejects constitutional challenges to civilian charges against former US Army Pvt. Green.
Hamdania: April 2006: 1 civilian killed and in a separate incident, several assaulted
April 10, 2006: Alleged assault occurs in village of Hamdania.
August 4, 2006: Six Marines are charged with
assaulting civilians in Hamdania on April 10.
August 17, 2006: An additional (seventh) Marine is
charged with assault on April 10, allegedly having beaten and choked civilians in Hamdania.
April 26, 2006: Iraqi man is killed outside his home, and allegedly a shovel and AK-47 are planted near him to make him look like an insurgent.
May 2006: The Naval Criminal Investigative Service ordered to investigate, after local Iraqis told military leaders about the civilian killing at a regularly scheduled meeting.
June 21, 2006: U.S. Marine Corps
charges seven marines and one Navy corpsman with murder and kidnapping in relation to the civilian death in Hamdania in April.
September 25, 2006: Marine Corps announces that
three U.S. Marines will face courts- martial for the murder of the Iraqi civilian on April 26. The three are Pfc. John J Jodka III, Cpl. Marshall L. Magincalda, and Cpl. Jerry E. Shumate.
October 4, 2006: Two marines implicated in the April 26 civilian death plead
not guilty to murder and kidnapping charges.
October 6, 2006: U.S. Navy Petty Officer Bacos pleads guilty to murder and kidnapping charges in the April 26 civilian killing. As part of a
plea bargain, he will testify against other soldiers in exchange for having the most severe charges dropped, including the murder charge.
October 18, 2006: Officials announce that
three additional Marines will be court-martialed in connection to the killing.
October 21, 2006: U.S. Marine Pfc. Jodka's lawyer announces that Jodka will
plead guilty to charges stemming from the death. He will plead guilty to assault and obstruction of justice, not previously more serious charges of murder.
October 26, 2006: Pfc. Jodka
pleads guilty to assault and obstruction of justice charges.
October 31, 2006: The lawyer for US Marine Lance Cpl. Tyler A. Jackson says Jackson will
plead guilty on lesser charges than those faced of murder, conspiracy, housebreaking, larceny, and kidnapping.
November 7, 2006: Lance Cpl. Jackson
pleads guilty to aggravated assault and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
November 14, 2006: US Marine Lance Cpl. Jerry E. Shumate Jr.
pleads guilty to aggravated assault and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
November 15, 2006: Pfc. Jodka is
sentenced to 18 months in military custody.
November 17, 2006: Lance Cpl. Jackson is
sentenced to 21 months in military custody.
November 21, 2006: US Marine Lance Cpl. Shumate is
sentenced to a maximum 21-month confinement after pleading guilty to aggravated assault and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Also, USMC Lance Cpl. Robert B. Pennington tells a military court that agents from the NCIS told him not to ask for a defense lawyer and
threatened him with the death penalty during interviews after the April incident.
January 18, 2007: Marine Cpl. Trent Thomas becomes the fifth serviceman to
plead guilty to murder charges stemming from the April murder.
February 8, 2007: US Marine Cpl. Trent Thomas
withdraws his guilty plea on unpremeditated murder charges, saying he was following a lawful order from superiors.
February 13, 2007: Marine Lance Cpl. Robert B. Pennington
pleads guilty to charges of murder, kidnapping, housebreaking, larceny, and conspiracy.
February 18, 2007: Lance Cpl. Pennington is
sentenced to eight years in military prison.
March 2, 2007: Marine Cpl. Thomas is
arraigned for the second time on charges of murder and kidnapping, following the withdrawal of a guilty plea to unpremeditated murder charges.
July 10, 2007: The
court-martial of Marine Cpl. Thomas begins on charges of premeditated murder and kidnapping.
July 18, 2007: A military jury
convicts Cpl. Thomas of kidnapping and conspiracy. Thomas was acquitted at court-martial of premeditated murder, making a false official statement, and housebreaking.
July 20, 2007: Cpl. Thomas is
sentenced to a bad-conduct discharge and reduced rank to private after a military jury finds him guilty of kidnapping and conspiracy.
July 24, 2007: Jury selection begins in the
court-martial of Marine Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins III, charged with murder, kidnapping, larceny, assault, housebreaking, conspiracy, and making a false official statement
August 1, 2007: Marine Cpl. Magincalda is found
guilty of conspiracy to murder, larceny, and housebreaking and not guilty of premeditated murder, kidnapping, and making a false official statement.
August 2, 2007: Marine Sgt. Hutchins is found
guilty of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, making a false official statement, and larceny, but acquitted on charges of kidnapping, assault and housebreaking.
August 3, 2007: Sgt. Hutchins is sentenced to
15 years in prison on his murder conviction. Cpl. Magincalda receives
448 days confinement and is demoted to private.
May 8, 2008: The US military
reduces the sentence of Sgt. Hutchins from 15 years in prison to 11 years, with a rank reduction to Private and a dishonorable discharge.
Samarra: May, 2006: 3 civilians killed
May 9, 2006: A raid on a suspected insurgent camp in Thar Thar, a town near Samarra, results in the shooting deaths of four handcuffed Iraqi civilians.
May 17, 2006: A criminal investigation into the Thar Thar killings is ordered by Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli.
June 16, 2006: U.S. military says the Army's Criminal Investigation Command will conduct
an investigation into the deaths of the detainees in Thar Thar.
July 28, 2006: The
NY Times reports that a U.S. Army soldier, Sgt. Lemuel Lemus, stated that the deaths of three Iraqi detainees in Samarra were
murders committed by and covered up by members of his squad.
October 18, 2006: Four U.S. soldiers, Pfc. Corey R. Clagett, Spc. William B. Hunsaker, Staff Sgt. Raymond L. Girouard, and Spc. Juston R. Graber will be
court-martialed to face charges for allegedly murdering the 4 Iraqi detainees in Thar Thar in May, 2006.
January 10, 2007: US Army Spc. Juston R. Graber
pleads guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, but pleads not guilty to more serious charges of attempted premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit premeditated murder.
January 12, 2007: Army Specialist Hunsaker receives an 18-year prison sentence after
pleading guilty to murder, attempted murder, and obstruction of justice charges, and Specialist Graber receives a nine-month sentence after pleading guilty to aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon.
January 23, 2007: US Army Col. Michael Steele is
formally reprimanded for giving improper orders to soldiers in Iraq, leading to the deaths near Samarra.
January 25, 2007: Pfc. Clagett
pleads guilty to charges of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
March 14, 2007: Several US soldiers testify against their former squad leader, Staff Sgt. Girouard, who faces
court-martial on charges of premeditated murder for his alleged involvement in the killings.
Iskandariyah: April – June, 2007: Three civilians killed
June 30, 2007: The Multinational Force-Iraq announces
charges of premeditated murder and wrongfully placing weapons with the remains of deceased Iraqis against US Army soldiers.
August 8, 2007: US Staff Sgt. Michael A. Hensley
refuses to accept a plea agreement and maintains his innocence on charges of premeditated murder and weapons-placing.
September 26, 2007: US Army Spc. Jorge G. Sandoval
pleads not guilty at his court-martial in Iraq.
September 28, 2007: Spc. Sandoval is found
not guilty of murder but convicted of planting evidence to cover up the shootings.
September 29, 2007: Spc. Sandoval is
sentenced to five months in prison for his role in covering up the shootings.
September 30, 2007: A US military judge
postpones an Article 32 hearing on US Army sniper Sgt. Evan Vela, charged with premeditated murder, obstruction of justice, and wrongfully placing weapons with the remains of deceased Iraqis.
November 11, 2007: Staff Sgt. Hensley is
acquitted of premeditated murder charges but convicted under Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice of wrongfully placing an AK-47 rifle with the remains of one Iraqi man.
February 8, 2008: Court-martial
proceedings begin for Sgt. Vela. Vela's lawyer says that he was only following a superior's orders.
February 10, 2008: Sgt. Vela is
convicted of unpremeditated murder and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Kirkuk: June 23, 2007: One civilian killed
July 19, 2007: The Multinational Force-Iraq announces
charges of premeditated murder against US Army Sergeant 1st Class Trey A. Corrales and Specialist Christopher P. Shore.
October 20, 2007: Sgt. Corrales, charged with the premeditated murder of an unarmed Iraqi civilian,
waives his right to an Article 32 pretrial hearing.
January 9, 2008: The US Army says that Sgt. Corrales will be
court-martialed on charges of premeditated murder. Corrales waived his right to an Article 32 hearing.
February 21, 2008: A military jury in Hawaii convicts Specialist Shore of aggravated assault on charges stemming from the killing, but
acquits him on charges of third-degree murder.
April 26, 2008: Sgt. Corrales is
acquitted by a military jury of all charges connected to the 2007 killing of an unarmed Iraqi civilian.
Fallujah: November, 2004: Two insurgents killed
August 16, 2007: Former Marine sergeant Jose Nazario is
charged with two counts of voluntary manslaughter for killing two Iraqi insurgents during the November 2004 offensive in Fallujah.
September 13, 2007: Jose Nazario
pleads not guilty in a CA federal court to two counts of voluntary manslaughter Fallujah.
April 25, 2008: Following an Article 32 hearing, military officials say US Marine Sgt. Jermaine A. Nelson will face
court-martial for the murder of an Iraqi detainee in Fallujah and five counts of dereliction of duty.
May 2, 2008: US District Court Judge Stephen Larson rules that
Jose Nazario can stand trial in federal court despite his lawyers’ argument that a civilian court does not have jurisdiction to hear a case concerning the combat activities of a member of the armed forces.
May 16, 2008: Sgt. Nelson is scheduled for a court martial for murder, but given
limited immunity in return for testifying against his squad leader, former Marine Sgt. Jose Nazario.
August 20, 2008: Jury selection begins for the trial of former Sgt. Nazario.
August 23, 2008: A judge for the US District Court for the Central District of California finds Sgt. Ryan G. Weemer and Sgt. Jermaine Nelson in
contempt of court after the two declined to testify against their former squad leader, Sgt. Nazario.
August 29, 2008: A federal jury
acquits Sgt. Nazario of voluntary manslaughter and other charges in the first civilian trial for crimes allegedly committed by a member of the US military in Iraq.
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