CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., June 2 (UPI) -- A U.S. Marine general blamed a misleading report for his failure to order a probe into the slaying of 24 civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha.

Maj. Gen. Richard Huck testified Friday in the prosecution's case against

Marine Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, 43, who is accused of dereliction of duty for not fully investigating the killings.

Huck testified that based on Chessani's report, he concluded no investigation was needed, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

On Nov. 19, 2005, Marines under Chessani's command killed five young men near their car and 19 members of three families in or near their homes.

The five men "were essentially executed," said Lt. Col. Paul Atterbury, a prosecutor. No weapons were found in or around their car. Marines lobbed grenades and fired hundreds of rifle rounds into the houses, the Times reported. Chessani's report indicated the deaths resulted from a roadside bombing and crossfire between Marines and insurgents.

The hearing is expected to last another week, as the defense calls witnesses for Chessani, a decorated officer who was on his third tour in Iraq.