A lesser charge is being recommended for a Marine lawyer charged with failing to probe the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians in the Haditha assault.
A report by investigating officer Major Thomas McCann says Captain Randy Stone was derelict in his duties, but McCann also found that Stone was "selectively singled out" for prosecution while more senior officers escaped charges.
The Associated Press has learned that McCann is recommending that the criminal charge against Stone be dismissed, but that a less serious administrative charge be pursued.
McCann's recommendation for a new charge is nonbinding. A final decision will be made by Lieutenant General James Mattis, the commanding general overseeing the case who will also decide whether to dismiss the other charges.
