> 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
>