Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, the sole remaining defendant in the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians during the height of the Iraq war, was ordered to court-martial Friday on manslaughter, aggravated assault and related charges.
The order came from Lt. Col. David Jones, a military judge who turned aside an effort by Wuterich's attorneys to dismiss the charges because of unlawful command influence.
Wuterich, 30, said he was upset and disappointed, but "happy to see a trial date and that this will be over soon."
"These past five years have been a long five years," he said of the Nov. 19, 2005, slayings that occurred in the city of Haditha after a roadside bomb destroyed a Humvee, killing one Marine and injuring two others. "It's tough being the last guy going through this, but I'm confident everything will turn out how it should."
Comments