Marine faces life in Iraqi's slaying

CAMP PENDELTON, Calif., Sept. 4 (UPI) -- A U.S. Marine faces life in prison if convicted of unpremeditated murder in the stabbing death of an Iraqi soldier.

Marine Lance Cpl. Delano Holmes, 21, is awaiting court-martial for killing an Iraqi soldier with his bayonet while the two were assigned night sentry duty at Camp Falluja last New Year's Eve, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

Holmes, who was attending college when he volunteered for duty in Iraq, maintains he acted in self-defense when he thought the Iraqi, who was wearing a ski mask, smoking and talking on a cellphone, may have been signaling to an insurgent sniper, the Times reported.

Three days earlier, three Marines in Holmes' battalion were killed in a sniper attack and Holmes suspected the glow from the cigarette and the telephone call were signals for another attack, his lawyer said.

Holmes has said he stabbed the man after the Iraqi ignored Holmes' warning to put down his cigarette and phone. Prosecutors accuse Holmes of lying about how the attack happened, the Times reported.