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Marine Acquitted Of Iraq Coverup

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The Associated Press

Published: June 5, 2008

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - A military jury acquitted a Marine intelligence officer Wednesday of charges that he tried to help cover up the killings of 24 Iraqis.

Cheers erupted as the seven-officer panel cleared 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson, who was the first of three Marines to be tried in the biggest U.S. criminal case involving Iraqi deaths linked to the war. The verdict came five hours after deliberations began.

The judge, Maj. Brian E. Kasprzyk, admonished the noisy courtroom, saying: "There will be no more of that."

Grayson, who has always maintained he did nothing wrong, was not at the scene of the killings of men, women and children on Nov. 19, 2005, in Haditha. He was accused of telling a sergeant to delete photos of the dead from a digital camera and laptop computer.

Outside the courtroom, a visibly emotional Grayson fought back tears as he said the verdict was an end to a terrible ordeal.

"It's finally time for me to get to be with my family," he said.

His wife, Susan, cried as she said what she had only dared to think about for months: "It's over."

Grayson, of Springboro, Ohio, was found not guilty of two counts of making false official statements, two counts of trying to fraudulently separate from service, and one count of attempt to deceive by making false statements. He would have faced as many as 20 years in prison if convicted of all counts.

Grayson's attorney, Joseph Casas, said he thought the verdict could influence pending prosecutions.

"I think it sets the tone for the overall whirlwind Haditha has been. It's been a botched investigation from the get-go," he said.

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