A Marine lieutenant accused of murdering two unarmed detained Iraqis and hanging a taunting sign over their corpses was cleared of all charges Thursday, a decision the Marine Corps said was in "the best interests" of the officer and the country.
Marine 2nd Lt. Ilario G. Pantano -- a Wall Street energy trader who rejoined the military in response to the Sept. 11 attacks -- did not deny shooting the suspected insurgents 60 times or hanging the sign that displayed a corps slogan: "No better friend, no worse enemy."
Instead, Pantano, 33, asserted that he had killed the Iraqis in self-defense after the men made threatening moves toward him during an April 2004 search of their car near Mahmudiyah, Iraq, 15 miles south of Baghdad.
Pantano's civilian attorney, Charles W. Gittins, said autopsies produced no evidence that the men had been shot in the back while on their knees, as an Arabic translator identified as "Corporal O" had testified.
Maj. Gen. Richard Huck, commander of the 2nd Marine Division, dismissed all charges after "careful consideration" of the autopsies and an investigative report, the corps said in a statement at Camp Lejeune, N.C., Pantano's home base. "The best interests of 2nd Lt. Pantano and the government have been served by this process," the statement said.
The case, one of a number in which Americans have been accused of executing suspected Iraqi insurgents, explored what many service members said was a fine line between murder and self-defense during the chaos of combat.
Veterans nationwide rallied behind Pantano, accusing the military of second-guessing a man who had risked his life for his country under difficult conditions. A website run by Pantano's mother -- defendthedefenders.org -- raised money for his defense.
Asked what he believed had turned the case in Pantano's favor, Gittins said: "You have an officer of unimpeachable integrity who said, 'These guys threatened me, and I killed them.' Ilario acted honorably in combat."
Gittins said his client was thrilled and relieved after learning of the decision. "He just wants to spend a little time with his family now and then move on."
Huck's ruling came two weeks after a Marine investigative officer had recommended in a 16-page report that the most serious charges be dropped. Lt. Col. Mark E. Winn wrote that prosecutors had not proved their charges in a case that was undermined by contradictory testimony. Pantano earlier had disciplined a sergeant who testified against him.
