Marine's graphic interview describes killing of prisoners in Iraq
Sgt. Jermaine Nelson, in a tape-recorded interview, says he and a fellow
sergeant were ordered to kill the prisoners during a sweep through a
Fallouja neighborhood in 2004.
By Tony Perry
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
11/07/08 "Los Angeles Times" -- - CAMP PENDLETON -- A graphic,
vulgarity-laced interview in which a Marine described how he and two other
Marines killed four unarmed prisoners in Iraq was played today during a
preliminary hearing in the case.
Sgt. Jermaine Nelson, in a tape-recorded interview with a Naval Criminal
Investigative Service agent, said he and Sgt. Ryan Weemer were ordered by
Sgt. Jose Nazario to kill the prisoners as the Marines swept through a
neighborhood in Fallouja in late 2004.
Several minutes of the tape were played at the hearing for Weemer, who
faces
murder and dereliction of duty charges. Nelson faces similar charges, and
Nazario faces manslaughter charges in federal court in Riverside.
Nelson told the investigator that Nazario told him, "I'm not doing all
this
[expletive] by myself. You're doing one and Weemer is doing one."
Nelson said that he watched in shock as Nazario shot a kneeling prisoner
at
point-blank range: "He hit the dude in the forehead, the dude went down
and
there was blood . . . all over his [Nazario's] boots."
Weemer then used his service pistol to shoot one of the prisoners, Nelson
said. "He shot him and the dude was on the ground and rolling and [Weemer]
was shooting, shooting, shooting, shooting, shooting."
The case began when Weemer, who had left the Marine Corps, told a job
interviewer from the Secret Service about the killings. The Marine Corps
recalled him to active-duty so he could be charged.
Nelson and Weemer, in their interviews, said that Nazario ordered the
killings after getting a radio message from a superior that ordered the
Marines not to take time to process the prisoners according to the rules.
The Marines were needed to sup****t other Marines sweeping through the
insurgent-held city, Weemer said in his interview.
A hearing officer, at the conclusion of the preliminary hearing, will
recommend to Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland whether the case should go to court
martial, be dropped or be handled through an administrative procedure.
After seeing Weemer and Nazario shot prisoners, Nelson said he lost his
reluctance to join in the killings. "I said [expletive] and I shot my
dude."
Copyright 2008 Los Angeles Times
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