3rd defendant in slaying of Iraqi man reportedly will plead guilty
CAMP PENDLETON — A third defendant accused of kidnapping and murdering an unarmed Iraqi man in Hamandiya, Iraq, will plead guilty to reduced charges, sources close to the case said Monday.
Marine Lance Cpl. Tyler Jackson, 23, will plead guilty to the charges next week. Marine Pfc. John J. Jodka III and Navy corpsman Melson Bacos have made similar pleas; Bacos was sentenced to a year in the brig; Jodka will be sentenced Nov. 15.
Bacos and seven Marines were accused of murder in the April killing of Hashim Ibrahim Awad, a suspected insurgent, and then lying to superiors by claiming he had been caught burying a bomb.
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