Marine Cleared in Deaths of Two Iraqis

Marines Drop Murder Charges Against Officer Accused in Grisly Shooting Deaths of Two Iraqis

The Marine Corps dropped murder charges Thursday against an officer accused of riddling two Iraqis with bullets and hanging a warning sign on their corpses as a grisly example to other suspected insurgents.
Autopsies conducted on the Iraqis' exhumed bodies backed 2nd Lt. Ilario Pantano's assertion that he shot them in self-defense after the men disobeyed his instructions and made a menacing move toward him, Marine officials said.
"The initial findings of the autopsies did not support the allegation that 2nd Lt. Pantano committed premeditated murder," Marine spokesman 2nd Lt. Barry Edwards said. "Rather, the initial findings corroborated 2nd Lt. Pantano's version of the events."