Court-martial for alleged killer Marine

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., Dec. 18 (UPI) -- A Court-martial has been scheduled at Southern California's Camp Pendleton for the last of eight Marines accused of killing 24 Iraqi civilians.

The trial of Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich on charges of manslaughter and assault will begin Jan. 4.

Wuterich, now 31, was the squad leader on the day in 2005 when an improvised explosive device exploded underneath a Marine convoy, killing one and injuring two others, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.

In an unsuccessful search for whoever planted the bomb, Marines killed five young men standing next to a car and then allegedly went through three houses killing 19 more people, including three women, seven children, and a 76-year-old man in a wheelchair, the newspaper said.

"I am looking forward to being able to present my case and help everyone understand what happened that day, and why I'm not guilty of the charges I'm facing," Wuterich told Mark Walker, military reporter for the North (San Diego) County Times in a story published Sunday.

Seven other Marines were charged in the case with one judged not guilty. Six other were able to have the charges against them dropped. Three senior officers were criticized by their superiors for failing to investigate the killings more completely until the event was reported by Time magazine, the Times said.