A
message from the defense team...
All charges were dismissed with prejudice against LCpl
Tatum this morning, on the day his trial was to begin on allegations
stemming from actions in Haditha, Iraq on 19 November 2005. The
government said it was done to further the truth seeking function. We
emphasize that LCpl Tatum will testify truthfully if called as a witness
but there is no deal for his testimony. It became clear to the
experienced prosecution team that the right thing to do was to dismiss all
charges against LCpl Tatum. We believe the evidence shows that LCpl Tatum
reacted to an enemy attack the way he was trained to do.
This result is consistent with the recommendation of the
Article 32 investigating officer who recommended last summer that no
court-martial be held in this case.
JACK B. ZIMMERMANN
KYLE R. SAMPSON
LTCOL MATTHEW W. CORD, USMCR
MAJ JEFFREY V. MUŅOZ, USMC