Post by Anja Nieser on Sept 12, 2006 21:00:47 GMT -5
Marine Faces Hearing in Iraqi's Slaying
Eager to see the world and looking for adventure, Jerry E. Shumate Jr.
joined the Marine Corps straight out of high school. Now the 21-year-old
lance corporal is in the brig.
Shumate is accused, with 8 others, of kidnapping and murdering an Iraqi
man in Hamdania, west of Baghdad. His preliminary hearing was scheduled to
begin Tuesday.
Shumate, along with 6 other Marines and a Navy Corpsman are accused of
entering 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad's house on April 26, kidnapping
him and taking him to a roadside hole. There, prosecutors say, several
troops shot him.
Shumate fired his M-16 at Awad, then lied to investigators about what had
happened, according to charging documents. Shumate also is one of several
Marines accused of assaulting a different Iraqi man in a separate incident
April 10.
"We're devastated, we're just taking it day by day," said father Jerry
Shumate Sr. who drove 1,200 miles from Matlock, Wash., with mother Diann
Shumate.
Family members have previously said their sons are innocent, and defense
attorneys have questioned the credibility of the Iraqis who reported the
murder to U.S. authorities.
The troops could face the death penalty if convicted, although, during an
earlier hearing, prosecutors said they would not pursue a capital sentence
against that defendant.
Shumate's civilian attorney, Steve Immel, declined to comment on the case,
but said he hoped his client would be treated fairly.
"We would ask everybody to let the process work itself out and let Jerry
have the full protections of the Constitution," Immel said. "Especially
because he was over there defending the Constitution. We ask everyone not
rush to judgment."
The preliminary hearings form part of a so-called Article 32
investigation, where an officer determines whether to recommend that
defendants face courts martial. The final decision rests with a commanding
general.
Two Article 32 hearings were held Aug. 30 for Pfc. John J. Jodka III and
Cpl. Marshall L. Magincalda, both accused in the Awad case. More hearings
for the other accused troops are expected in coming weeks.
The Shumates said joining the Marine Corps was their son's dream after he
graduated Mary M. Knight High School at the southeastern edge of the
Olympic peninsula, where he played on the football team.
"We are glad we're finally getting to the next step of this process,"
Shumate Sr. said. "All we can do is trust in our counsel and trust in our
government."
(source: Associated Press)
Eager to see the world and looking for adventure, Jerry E. Shumate Jr.
joined the Marine Corps straight out of high school. Now the 21-year-old
lance corporal is in the brig.
Shumate is accused, with 8 others, of kidnapping and murdering an Iraqi
man in Hamdania, west of Baghdad. His preliminary hearing was scheduled to
begin Tuesday.
Shumate, along with 6 other Marines and a Navy Corpsman are accused of
entering 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad's house on April 26, kidnapping
him and taking him to a roadside hole. There, prosecutors say, several
troops shot him.
Shumate fired his M-16 at Awad, then lied to investigators about what had
happened, according to charging documents. Shumate also is one of several
Marines accused of assaulting a different Iraqi man in a separate incident
April 10.
"We're devastated, we're just taking it day by day," said father Jerry
Shumate Sr. who drove 1,200 miles from Matlock, Wash., with mother Diann
Shumate.
Family members have previously said their sons are innocent, and defense
attorneys have questioned the credibility of the Iraqis who reported the
murder to U.S. authorities.
The troops could face the death penalty if convicted, although, during an
earlier hearing, prosecutors said they would not pursue a capital sentence
against that defendant.
Shumate's civilian attorney, Steve Immel, declined to comment on the case,
but said he hoped his client would be treated fairly.
"We would ask everybody to let the process work itself out and let Jerry
have the full protections of the Constitution," Immel said. "Especially
because he was over there defending the Constitution. We ask everyone not
rush to judgment."
The preliminary hearings form part of a so-called Article 32
investigation, where an officer determines whether to recommend that
defendants face courts martial. The final decision rests with a commanding
general.
Two Article 32 hearings were held Aug. 30 for Pfc. John J. Jodka III and
Cpl. Marshall L. Magincalda, both accused in the Awad case. More hearings
for the other accused troops are expected in coming weeks.
The Shumates said joining the Marine Corps was their son's dream after he
graduated Mary M. Knight High School at the southeastern edge of the
Olympic peninsula, where he played on the football team.
"We are glad we're finally getting to the next step of this process,"
Shumate Sr. said. "All we can do is trust in our counsel and trust in our
government."
(source: Associated Press)