Marine charged with war crimes revokes guilty plea

David Edwards

Published: Tuesday February 13, 2007 Print This Email This

A Marine corporal accused of murder and kidnapping in Hamdania, Iraq, surprised the court when he withdrew his guilty plea last Thursday.

"Cpl. Trent Thomas, 25, told a judge Thursday he no longer believes he is guilty and was following a lawful order," the Associated Press reported. "He had earlier pleaded guilty to several charges, including kidnapping and murder."

The devout Christian had originally pleaded guilty in a plea deal offered by the prosecution that could have lessened his prison time. Thomas had been facing a life sentence. The Marine now will face the unlikely penalty of death when new charges are filed.

None of the three other Marines charged in the incident have withdrawn their guilty pleas. They face two years in prison and must admit that they knew orders to kidnap the Iraqi man were unlawful.

"You stop looking at people as people," Cpl. Trent Thomas says in the interview filmedin his lawyer's office on February 7, before Thomas withdrew his guilty plea.

Thomas thought the killings might "send a message" to insurgents plotting attacks.

"At the time, I felt that I was doing what I had to do," he said. "Now that I'm back here, I know that it was wrong what we did, and for that I am truly sorry."

"He killed an innocent man that day because he was ordered to do it," CNN said Thomas' lawyer said about the changing of his plea to not guilty.

CNN interviews Marine Cpl. Trent Thomas in the following video:



