A marine who shot and killed two unarmed Iraqis at point blank range has
been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing by the military. Immediately
following the decision, the soldier, Lieutenant Ilario Pantano, said he did
not regret killing the men. Prosecutors alleged that Pantano intended to
make an example of the men by shooting them 60 times and hanging a sign over
their corpses that read "No better friend, no worse enemy." Pantano did not
deny hanging the sign or shooting the men repeatedly after stopping their
vehicle at a checkpoint. He admitted emptying one magazine of bullets into
the Iraqis, then reloading and firing 30 more rounds. Pantano will continue
his work training marines at Camp Lejune and his lawyer says he hopes to
return to Iraq.
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