6/5/2008: Intel News Brief: 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson Found Not Guilty:

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - A Marine intelligence officer accused of
trying to cover up the killings of 24 Iraqis appeared stunned at first
when a jury acquitted him of the charges.

For more than two years, 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson had been under
suspicion, accused of ordering the destruction of evidence in the
biggest U.S. criminal case involving Iraqi deaths to come out of the
war.

"I didn't really believe it was going to end until they said not
guilty," Grayson said in his first public comments following the
verdict. "The case was so volatile, you didn't know which way it was
going to go."

Grayson had always maintained his innocence. On Wednesday, a military
jury agreed with him.

Cheers erupted as the jury found him not guilty of ordering a sergeant
to delete photographs of the bodies from a digital camera and laptop
computer.

The judge, Maj. Brian E. Kasprzyk, admonished the courtroom, telling
them: "There will be no more of that."

It was a reflection of the contentious nature of a case that saw
Grayson painted by prosecutors as a liar who hindered an
investigation. His attorneys said he was a fall guy for a botched
investigation.

Grayson was the first of three Marines to be court-martialed in
connection with killings of men, women and children on Nov. 19, 2005,
in Haditha.

He was not present at the killings that occurred after a roadside bomb
struck a convoy, killing a Marine and wounding two others.

Investigators allege that after the bombing, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich
and a squad member shot five men by a car at the scene. Wuterich then
allegedly ordered his men into several houses, where they cleared
rooms with grenades and gunfire, killing more Iraqis in the process.

Four enlisted Marines initially were charged with murder and four
officers were charged with failing to investigate the deaths. Charges
were dropped against five of the Marines.

Grayson, of Springboro, Ohio, was found not guilty of two counts of
making false official statements, two counts of trying to fraudulently
separate from service, and one count of attempt to deceive by making
false statements. He would have faced up to 20 years in prison if
convicted on all counts.

Grayson's attorney, Joseph Casas, said he believed the verdict would
influence pending prosecutions.

"I think it sets the tone for the overall whirlwind Haditha has been.
It's been a botched investigation from the get-go," he said. "I
believe in the end all of the so-called Haditha Marines who still have
to face trial will be exonerated."

Prosecutors said Grayson, whose job was to analyze intelligence,
ordered the photos deleted in an effort to protect the Marines.

But outside the courtroom, Grayson said the charges appear to be the
result of a misunderstanding. He has always maintained he was
following Marine Corps policy that prohibits the keeping of pictures
on personal computers of Iraqi bodies.

Grayson fought back tears as he described the months leading up the
trial.

He said he first found out he was under suspicion when he got a call
from his commander months after the killings. A short time later, he
was read the charges.

"It was surreal," he said. "You can't quite believe you are hearing
all this."

Grayson's life was thrown into turmoil. He was barred from leaving the
Marine Corps until the case was adjudicated. He had been scheduled to
get out in June 2007.

Grayson said early on in the case he refused a deal that would have
reduced charges and kept him out of prison.

"I was the one that had to look at myself in the mirror. To take the
easy way out, you are the one that has to live with that," he said.

During the darkest moments of the case, he said he leaned on his wife.
The couple married in the middle of the investigation and gave up a
honeymoon.

His wife, Susan, cried as she said what she had only dared to think
about for months: "It's over."

Prosecutors did not make themselves available for comment.

Still to face court-martial are Wuterich, of Meriden, Conn., whose
charges include voluntary manslaughter, and Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani,
of Rangely, Colo., who has been charged with dereliction of duty and
violation of a lawful order on allegations he mishandled the aftermath
of the killings.

Wuterich pleaded not guilty. Chessani has said he didn't order a
formal investigation because he believed the deaths resulted from
lawful combat. He has not entered a plea because in the military
system that is not usually done until motions hearings are completed
and a court-martial is about to start.
Source: Morning Intel News Brief via Internal Company News Wire-AP