Military Grants Immunity To Marine In Iraq Killings

Friday, April 20th 2007, 7:32 pm

By: News On 6

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Military prosecutors have granted immunity to at least seven Marines connected to an attack that killed 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, the deadliest criminal case against U.S. troops in the Iraq war.

However, one of them is not 25-year-old Stephen B. Tatum of Edmond, Oklahoma.

Orders granting the immunity ensure any testimony the Marines volunteer cannot be used against them, making it highly unlikely charges will be brought against the men.

They also suggest their eyewitness accounts will feature prominently in military court hearings for seven other Marines charged in the case.

The orders were obtained by The Associated Press from someone involved in the case who declined to be identified because the documents are not public.

Tatum and six other Marines still face unpremeditated murder charges in the case.