Haditha is a city on the Euphrates River northwest of Baghdad, Iraq.Eight US Marines faced charges in the deaths, but only one was convicted of a crime, that of negligent dereliction of duty.November 19, 2005 – A roadside bomb kills 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas in the Haditha neighborhood of Al-Subhani.November 19, 2005 – At least 24 Iraqi civilians, including women and children, are killed. Suspicion falls on Marines from Kilo Company of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. March 19, 2006 – Time.com first publishes the allegations of the killings. The story also runs in the March 27 issue of the magazine.April 8, 2006 – The commander of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment and two company commanders are relieved of command and placed on staff duty during the investigation. May 29, 2006 – Gen. Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, tells CNN there are two investigations – one into what happened and one into why the military didn't know about the incident sooner.December 21, 2006 – Eight Marines face criminal charges or administrative punishment in connection with the incident.
– Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, who led the detachment of Marines accused of involvement in the incident, is charged with 13 counts of unpremeditated murder, making false statements to investigators, and trying to persuade others to do the same. The murder charges include 12 counts of unpremeditated murder against individuals and one count of the murder of six people "while engaged in an act inherently dangerous to others."
– Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt is charged with one count of unpremeditated murder, with three specifications (one for each fatality).
– Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum is charged with negligent homicide and assault.
– Sgt. Sanick Dela Cruz is charged with unpremeditated murder and making a false statement.
– Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani is charged with one count of violating a lawful order and two counts of dereliction of duty.
– Capt. Randy Stone is charged with dereliction of duty and violating a lawful order.
– Capt. Lucas McConnell is charged with dereliction of duty.
– First Lt. Andrew Grayson is charged with obstruction of justice, dereliction of duty and making a false statement.January 6, 2007 – The Washington Post publishes photos and information pertaining to the Haditha incident. The photos show five dead Iraqi men near a taxi cab. Shortly after, attorneys for the charged Marines request a probe to determine who leaked the photos, claiming their clients will not be given a fair trial because of them. US criminal investigators say they have found no evidence to support the claim of the Marines that the five Iraqis were shot after trying to flee the scene. The investigators say that all five Iraqi men were shot no more than 18 feet from the taxi they were ordered to exit and within arm's length of each other.April 2, 2007 – Charges against Sgt. Dela Cruz are dropped in exchange for his testimony.August 9, 2007 – Charges against Lance Cpl. Sharratt and Capt. Stone are dropped after Lt. Gen. James Mattis rules that they did not act inappropriately under the circumstances. August 23, 2007 – Lt. Col. Paul Ware, the investigating officer, recommends that all charges be dropped against Lance Cpl. Tatum, saying the evidence is too weak for a court-martial. September 5, 2007 – Maj. Gen. Richard A. Huck, former commanding general of the 2nd Marine Division; Col. Stephen W. Davis, former commanding officer of Regimental Combat Team 2, 2nd Marine Division; and Col. Robert G. Sokoloski, former chief of staff of 2nd Marine Division (Forward) receive letters of censure from the secretary of the Navy in connection to the Haditha investigation. September 18, 2007 – Lt. Gen. Mattis drops charges against Capt. McConnell.October 4, 2007 – Lt. Col. Ware, the investigating officer, recommends that the murder charges be dropped from Staff Sgt. Wuterich's case, but that he should be tried for the lesser offense of negligent homicide. October 19, 2007 – The Marine Corps announces that Lt. Col. Chessani and Lance Cpl. Tatum will face courts-martial.December 31, 2007 – 1st Lt. Grayson is referred for court-martial on charges of making false official statements, obstruction of justice and attempting to fraudulently separate from the Marine Corps.December 31, 2007 – The MarinRead More – Source
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