Marine: Squad made up prisoner killings

RIVERSIDE, Calif., Aug. 22 (UPI) -- A former U.S. Marine said his squad fabricated a story of him killing two Iraqi captives in a 2004 battle in Fallujah.

Jose Luis Nazario, who left the service in 2005, pleaded innocent to voluntary manslaughter charges brought by federal prosecutors who say he killed two captives Nov. 9, 2004, during the battle to retake Fallujah, CNN reported Wednesday.

A Navy investigator said in an affidavit that Nazario killed one prisoner and then asked his squad: "Who else wants to kill these guys? Because I don't want to do it all myself."

The affidavit said the prisoners were killed so the squad could keep up with the rest of its unit.

However, Kevin McDermott, Nazario's attorney, said the allegations are a "fish story" invented by a member of Nazario's squad and revealed during a 2006 polygraph test the squad member took when applying for a U.S. Secret Service position.

McDermott said an alleged radio call cited by three Marines in the affidavit as containing the order to kill the prisoners never took place.

"That call never occurred," McDermott toldCNN. "That's what's so crazy about this whole situation."