CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.-
A Navy corpsman testified at his court-martial Friday that he watched as Marines shot an Iraqi civilian in the head after taking him from his home in the town of Hamdania.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Melson J. Bacos, 21, said he saw two Marines fire at least 10 rounds into 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad.
Seven Marines and Bacos, a medic who had been on patrol with them that day, are charged in Awad’s April 26th death. Bacos was the first to go to a court-martial. Friday morning, he pleaded guilty to kidnapping and conspiracy under a deal in which other charges were dropped and Bacos agreed to testify about what he saw.
Bacos testified that he asked the Marines to let Awad go, but he said Marine Cpl. Marshall L. Magincalda told him he was being weak and should stop protesting.
“I witnessed Sgt. (Lawrence) Hutchins dead check the man and fire three rounds into the man’s head,” Bacos testified. “Then Cpl. (Trent) Thomas fired seven to 10 rounds in to the man’s head.”
In return for his testimony, other counts of murder, kidnapping and conspiracy against Bacos were to be dropped, his civilian lawyer said before Friday’s proceedings.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
