AP - 6/8/2007 7:20 AM - Updated 6/8/2007 7:21 AM
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) _ A Marine assigned to take photos of the 24 Iraqi civilians killed in Haditha testified Thursday that he was later ordered to destroy the images.
Staff Sgt. Justin Laughner was called as a witness at a preliminary hearing for Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, one of four officers charged with dereliction of duty for failing to investigate the Nov. 19, 2005 deaths.
Testifying under immunity, Laughner said Lt. Andrew Grayson told him to delete the photos so they would not be part of a statement being prepared for top-ranking officers and a Time magazine reporter. Laughner said he felt the order amounted to obstruction of justice but that he complied and later lied when asked whether any pictures had been taken.
Grayson, who has also been charged, faces a preliminary hearing on June 18.
``It was wrong,'' Laughner said. ``Somebody was asking for them, and we're not going to give them to them? It's not right, but I didn't say anything.''
Although Laughner deleted the pictures from his computer, the images remained on his digital camera and are now part of the biggest criminal case against U.S. troops in the war in Iraq.
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http://www.kotv.com/news/national/story/?id=129013Also:
Marine says he erased photos of Haditha victims
The testimony is the first evidence suggesting that any officer may have engaged in a coverup in the 2005 deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians.By Tony Perry, Times Staff Writer
June 8, 2007
CAMP PENDLETON — A staff sergeant testified Thursday that he was ordered to destroy grisly pictures of women and children killed by Marines so that the images would not be part of a statement being prepared for an investigative officer and a magazine reporter.
The testimony by Staff Sgt. Justin Laughner, taken under a grant of immunity, is the first evidence suggesting that any Marine officer may have engaged in a coverup in the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in 2005.
Other testimony has suggested that officers made only a superficial review before deciding that the deaths were combat-related and thus no war crimes investigation was required.
At the Article 32 inquiry, similar to a preliminary hearing, for a former battalion commander, Laughner testified hat he felt the order to destroy the pictures, which he said was given by Lt. Andrew Grayson, amounted to obstruction of justice but that he complied and later lied when asked whether any pictures had been taken.
"It was wrong," Laughner said. "Somebody was asking for them
, and we're not going to give them to them? It's not right, but I didn't say anything."
Although Laughner deleted the pictures from his computer, the images remained on his digital camera and are now part of the criminal case against four officers and three enlisted Marines.
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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-haditha8jun08,1,4355594.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
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