CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., Jan. 5 (UPI) -- The last of eight U.S. Marines accused of killing 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha in 2005 faced trial Thursday at Camp Pendleton, Calif., officials said.
Jury selection was scheduled to begin in the military trial of Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, who served as squad leader.
Wuterich is accused of nine counts of voluntary manslaughter, as well as charges of aggravated assault, dereliction of duty, obstruction of justice and reckless endangerment, CNN reported. Charges were dropped against six of the Marines and one was acquitted.
The 31-year-old from Meriden, Conn., has denied allegations he ordered troops to storm three homes, after his patrol hit a roadside bomb in November 2005. Prosecutors say 24 Iraqi civilians, including women and children, were killed in the raid.
The killings, which came to light the following year, enraged Iraqis. CNN said the fallout from the incident continues, with some citing the incident as the reason Iraq refused to grant U.S. troops immunity from prosecution.
