John Murtha Was Unavailable for Comment

It's a shame he had to go and die before seeing the last of the Haditha Marines he slandered exonerated. It really is. Maybe before his parting he'd have had a valediction and offered an apology for his perfidy.

The defense for the last Marine facing criminal charges in the fatal shooting of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha in 2005 won a key ruling Tuesday that could lead to the case being dropped.

Lt. Col. David Jones, the military judge, ruled that attorneys for Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich had successfully shown that there was the possibility of what the military calls undue command influence in the decision by a general to send Wuterich to a court martial.

Jones' ruling requires that prosecutors prove beyond a reasonable doubt that no such influence existed or that, while it may have existed, it did not influence the general's decision.

Faced with a similar ruling in the case of another Marine charged in the Haditha killings, prosecutors could not meet the burden of proof to the judge's satisfaction. After losing an appeal, the Marine Corps dismissed charges against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani.

Jones set a hearing for Wednesday to hear any evidence prosecutors want to present. Maj. Nicholas Gannon, one of the prosecutors, said he was "99.9% sure" that he has no further evidence.
...
Wuterich, 30, showed no emotion when Jones issued his ruling.

Neal Puckett, one of Wuterich's attorneys, said his client "is in good spirits. He hasn't complained at all. He loves the Marine Corps and wants to make it a career."

Another of his attorneys, Haytham Faraj, said it was to the Marine Corps' credit that Mattis was ordered to undergo cross-examination about the case.

Of eight Marines charged in late 2006 in connection with the killings, six had their cases dismissed and one was found not guilty. Wuterich was the squad leader when Marines began searching nearby buildings after a roadside bomb killed one Marine and injured two.

Yet nobody, including Murtha while he was still alive, has ever offered them an apology.

Another Haditha Dismissal; John Murtha Unavailable for Comment

No surprise here. The surprise is the media even notices.

Of course, Democrat John Murtha has rhetorical blood on his hands, but he's a Democrat, so it's OK.

CAMP PENDLETON ---- A military judge has dismissed charges against a Marine officer accused of failing to investigate the killings of 24 Iraqis.

Col. Steven Folsom dismissed charges Tuesday against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani after defense attorneys raised concerns that a four-star general overseeing the prosecution was improperly influenced by an investigator probing the November 2005 shootings by a Marine squad in Haditha.

Can I question Murtha's patriotism yet? Will anyone in the DC press corps even bother asking him about it?

Earlier coverage from the North County Times.

Of course, none of this news pales in comparison with what has now been the top story for the past 30 hours.

Update: Michelle Malkin suggests it's time to Fight the Smears.

More Haditha Charges Dropped

What will the bumbling hack John Murtha have to say now?

More Charges Dropped in Haditha Case

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) - Charges have been dropped against a captain who was accused of failing to investigate the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha, the Marine Corps said Tuesday.

Capt. Lucas M. McConnell of Napa was granted immunity and ordered to cooperate with officials looking into the November 2005 killings, the Marines said in a press release.

Charges have now been dismissed against four of the eight Marines who were initially charged with murder or failure to investigate the deaths. A battalion commander has been recommended for a court-martial; a final decision is pending.

The killings occurred after a military convoy was hit by a roadside bomb that killed a Marine driver. Members of a Marine squad shot five men by a car, then killed 19 others as they cleared several houses in hopes of finding whoever set off the bomb.

Lt. Gen. James Mattis dismissed dereliction of duty charges against McConnell on Sept. 12. and determined that "administrative measures" were an appropriate punishment, the Marines said.

McConnell's attorney, Kevin McDermott, did not immediately respond to a phone message.

Murtha obviously doesn't want to respond.

Check out video of him prior to the most recent news, via Hot Air.

Haditha Fabricated?

Newsmax has a bombshell report from Philip V. Brennan.

Convincing evidence that corroborates NewsMax.com's accounts of the Haditha insurgent ambush has compelled the prosecution to take extraordinary steps to bolster their crumbling case.

The stunning announcement that all charges are being dropped against Sgt. Sanick P. Dela Cruz, formerly accused of murder in the Haditha incident where 24 Iraqis were killed during an insurgent ambush against the Marines, is indication that the prosecutors have a very weak case against all the defendants, lawyers for the some of the accused say.

Read the rest.

The Haditha incident brought forth some of the worst pack mentality journalism from the drive-by media in recent years. Let's see if they even touch the latest information.

More from AJ Strata and Sister Toldjah.