Official: Marines could be charged with murder

updated 2:21 p.m. ET May 26, 2006

WASHINGTON - Investigators believe that their criminal investigation into the deaths of about two dozen Iraqi civilians points toward a conclusion that Marines committed unprovoked murders, a senior defense official said Friday.

The Marine Corps initially reported 15 deaths and said they were caused by a roadside bomb and an ensuing firefight with insurgents. A separate investigation is seeking to determine if Marines lied to cover up the killings.

The official, who discussed the matter on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the yet-to-be-completed investigation, said the evidence developed by investigators strongly indicates the killings last November in the insurgent-plagued city of Haditha in the western province of Anbar were unjustified.

The official did not disclose specific evidence. The incident, if confirmed, could be the most serious case of criminal misconduct by U.S. troops during three years of combat in Iraq.

A spokesman at Marine Corps headquarters in the Pentagon, Lt. Col. Scott Fazekas, declined to comment on the status of the investigation. He said no information would be provided until the probe was completed.

'Not the result of an accident'
According to a congressional aide, lawmakers were told in a briefing Thursday that it appears as many as two dozen civilians were killed. And they were told that the investigation will find that “it will be clear that this was not the result of an accident or a normal combat situation.”

Another congressional official said lawmakers were told it would be about 30 days before a report would be issued by the investigating agency, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Pentagon spokesman Eric Ruff said Friday he believes the investigation is winding down, but he would not comment on what the evidence shows.

Ruff would not characterize the extent of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld’s concern about the matter, but said he is being kept apprised of the investigations.

Ruff said he did not expect any announcements in the next few days.

The Los Angeles Times reported on Friday that investigators have concluded that the Marines killed unarmed civilians, including women and children, at Haditha last November, and that they tried to cover it up.

The New York Times reported on Friday that two lawyers involved in discussions about individual Marines’ defenses said they thought the investigation could result in murder charges. The lawyers were not identified.

On Thursday, The Washington Times reported that defense lawyers expect the Marines to file murder charges against at least one Marine involved in the incident.

Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., said last week that he was told by Marine Corps officials that the civilians were killed “in cold blood.” He said there were nearly twice as many killed as the 15 initially reported by the Marines.

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