May 19, 2013
A hearing is scheduled next week for a Camp Lejeune Marine who was charged after a video surfaced last year that showed troops urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters.
Sergeant Robert Richards was charged in January. An Article 32 hearing, which is similar to a civilian grand jury, is scheduled to begin Tuesday at the base in Jacksonville.
Sergeant Richards was charged with dereliction of duty, violation of a lawful general order, and conduct prejudicial to the good order and discipline of the armed forces. The alleged misconduct centers around Richards taking improper photographs of human casualties, including a video recording of him and other Marines urinating on human casualties; the indiscriminate firing of weapons; failure to properly supervise fellow Marines, and failure to report misconduct.
Two other Marines have already entered guilty pleas in the case and received minimal sentences. Also, in January, Staff Sgt. Edward Deptola was demoted by one rank as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. Captain James Clement was also charged in February, accused of failing to properly supervise junior Marines and other charges. Clement is currently at Quantico.
