Steven Cuevas
August 18, 2008
Listen
Jury selection is scheduled to start Tuesday in the Riverside trial of a former Marine sergeant charged in the deaths of four Iraqi detainees during combat. KPCC's Steven Cuevas reports it's the first time the federal government has prosecuted an ex-soldier for an alleged crime committed while in uniform.
Steven Cuevas: Navy investigators say Jose Nazario of Riverside shot and killed two unarmed Iraqi detainees during combat operations four years ago in Fallujah. They say two other unarmed men were also killed on Nazario's orders. Federal prosecutors have charged the 28-year-old ex-Marine with one count of voluntary manslaughter. He's pleaded not guilty.
Nazario's trial is in civilian court because the allegations surfaced after he'd left the Marine Corps. Nazario was a Riverside cop when he was charged. He's since moved back New York with his wife and two-year-old son.
After a recent court appearance in Riverside, Nazario's wife Diette said her husband can't find work.
Diette Nazario: This has been extremely difficult for my family. It was really hard sending my husband to Iraq, and this situation is much worse. I'm a stay-at-home mom, and my husband is our sole provider, and now we have to figure out what we need to do in terms of still trying to support our household.
Cuevas: Two other Marines under Nazario's command face murder charges in a military court at Camp Pendleton. Both men could testify in his civilian trial.
If convicted on all charges, Nazario could spend up to 30 years in prison. His lawyers doubt a jury will convict, because the government has failed to identify the victims or produce forensic evidence.
