All charges against a U.S. Marine accused of killing five civilians in Haditha, Iraq, have been dismissed, part of a decision that grants him immunity to testify in potential courts-martial for seven other Marines charged in the attack and in an alleged coverup, Marine Corps officials said yesterday.Murder charges against Sgt. Sanick P. Dela Cruz were dropped on April 2, when the convening authority, Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis, agreed to give Dela Cruz "testimonial immunity" in the case.
Lt. Col. Sean Gibson, a spokesman at Camp Pendleton, Calif., where the cases are underway, said yesterday that Dela Cruz "has agreed to provide testimony" in other cases and that all charges against him were "dismissed entirely." An attorney representing Dela Cruz declined to comment.
The Marines allegedly shot and killed as many as two dozen civilians, including women and children, in an Iraqi village in November, 2005. The Marine Corps chain of command has been accused of not investigating the shootings until months later.
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