Marine acquitted in Iraqi death

A military jury acquitted Marine Sgt. Ryan Weemer on Thursday of all charges in the fatal shooting of an Iraqi prisoner during a 2004 battle in Fallujah.

At Camp Pendleton, Calif., a jury of eight officers, all of whom had served in Iraq, Afghanistan or both, deliberated for seven hours over two days before announcing its decision.

Weemer was charged with unpremeditated murder and dereliction of duty, which could have brought a life sentence. The court-martial judge had also given the jury the option of finding him guilty of voluntary manslaughter or assault, which would have brought lesser penalties.

Three Marines were charged in the killing of four prisoners; two have now been acquitted. Whether the third will proceed to court-martial is unclear.

“I was justified in what I did over there,” Weemer told reporters after the verdict.

His lead attorney, Paul Hackett, said that the prisoners were insurgents intent on killing Americans and “got what they deserved.”

Weemer, 26, was charged with killing a prisoner on the first day of the U.S. assault on insurgent strongholds.