Court Martial Of CT Marine Staff Sgt Postponed Indefinitely

The court-martial of a Marine Staff Sergeant from Connecticut has been postponed indefinitely.  Frank Wuterich of Meriden is accused of leading a 2005 assault that killed more than 20 Iraqi civilians.

In November 2005,  a squad of U.S. Marines led by Staff Sargeant Frank Wuterich, killed 24 men, women and young children in the Iraqi town of Haditha. The Marines had been searching for those responsible in an IED explosion that led to one death and two injuries. 

Eight Marines were charged with various counts of murder in the Haditha incident. Seven of the cases have been resolved. There have been no convictions. Wuterich is charged with multiple counts of manslaughter and dereliction of duty. His case was due to begin in military court later this month. 

But according to his lawyer Neal Puckett, a senior military appeals court is “reviewing documents regarding the failure of the Marine Corps to properly preserve the attorney-client relationship”. Puckett says the removal of an active duty military attorney on the case was improper.

No date has been set for the court-martial.  Frank Wuterich remains on duty at Camp Pendleton. 

For WNPR, I’m Diane Orson.