A military court on Wednesday overturned the conviction of a former Marine sniper involved in urinating on dead Taliban soldiers in Afghanistan in 2011 after evidence emerged that a top general meddled in the case to ensure a harsh punishment, reports said.
Staff Sgt. Joseph Chamblin was convicted almost five years ago and sentenced to 30 days confinement, had his pay docked and was demoted over a video that showed the Marines urinating on enemy corpses, The Washington Post reported.
A new ruling revealed that now-retired Gen. James F. Amos and some of his senior staff apparently tried to “severely and systematically” influence the case to ensure the Marines who were involved in the controversy would face harsher punishment.
Amos allegedly told then-Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser that the Marines need to be “crushed” and discharged from the Corps over their behavior.
Waldhauser, who was investigating the case, said Amos tried to pressure him into issuing the Marines a general courts-martial – the highest form of criminal trial – and threatened to make someone else the authority in the cases after Waldhauser refused to do so.
[contentcards url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/11/10/court-overturns-marine-snipers-conviction-for-urinating-on-dead-taliban-fighters.html” target=”_blank”]