Lawyer: Haditha Marine Rejects Plea Deal

Monday, September 10, 2007

By THOMAS WATKINS, Associated Press Writer

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LOS ANGELES —

A Marine officer accused of failing to investigate Iraqi civilian deaths in Haditha rejected a plea deal under which his charges would have been dismissed in exchange for an admission that he covered up the killings, his attorney said Monday.

First Lt. Andrew Grayson is one of four Camp Pendleton officers who were charged with dereliction of duty on suspicion that they failed to probe the Nov. 19, 2005, assault that left 24 Iraqis dead.

Attorney Joseph Casas said Grayson has done nothing wrong, and the Marine said taking the deal would have been like selling his integrity.

"I was asked by the prosecution to fall on my sword for the greater good of the Marine Corps," Grayson, 26, of Springboro, Ohio, said in a brief statement e-mailed to The Associated Press. "The prosecution wanted me to distort the truth to fit their end goal."

The killings occurred after a military convoy was hit by a roadside bomb that fatally wounded a Marine driver. Members of a Marine squad shot five men by a car, then killed 19 others as they cleared several houses in hopes of finding whomever set off the bomb.

Grayson, an intelligence officer, is accused of telling a sergeant to delete photographs of the dead from his digital camera. He also faces charges of making a false official statement and obstructing justice.

The deal would have required Grayson to make a statement at a special, nonjudicial hearing admitting that he tried to cover up the killings, Casas said. Typically, such admissions can result in a letter of reprimand or lost pay and effectively end a Marine's career.

Lt. Col. Sean Sullivan, the government's lead prosecutor in the case, discussed a potential deal with Grayson, Casas said. Sullivan, reached for comment at his Camp Pendleton office, said military regulations prohibit him from discussing the case.

Four enlisted Marines were originally charged with murder, and four officers were charged with failing to investigate. So far, charges have been dismissed against two of the enlisted Marines and one officer.

Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, the highest-ranking of the officers, has been recommended for a court-martial, but no final decision has been made by a general who oversees the cases.

Instead of taking the deal, Grayson will likely face a preliminary hearing in November, his attorney said. An officer overseeing the hearing could either recommend charges be dismissed or recommend he go to trial. The top general at Camp Pendleton would make the final decision.