Cherrish
11-15-2006, 09:00 AM
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Six months after he was first detained, a Marine private faces punishment for his role in the kidnapping and killing of an Iraqi man in a town west of Baghdad.
Pfc. John J. Jodka III was scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday. He was part of a squad of seven Marines and a Navy corpsman accused of kidnapping a man in the town of Hamdania, taking him to a roadside hole, shooting him and then trying to cover up the incident.
Jodka, 20, pleaded guilty Oct. 27 to charges of assault and conspiracy to obstruct justice. In return for the plea, prosecutors dropped other charges against him, including murder and kidnapping. He also was required to testify about the incident.
How long Jodka will spend in prison has already been established in the pretrial agreement. The judge does not know the terms of the deal and if he sentences Jodka to longer than that term, Jodka would not be liable to serve the extra time.
Jodka, of Encinitas, is the youngest and lowest ranking member of the squad, and was the first Marine in the case to get a plea deal. The Navy corpsman and two other Marines also have made plea agreements.
During his court-martial, Jodka calmly recounted his version of events, and said the group agreed to a plan formed by squad leader Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins to kidnap and kill a known insurgent. Hutchins is the last of the eight to have his case referred to court-martial.
He said he and other troops shot at a figure they could barely see in the darkness, and found out only later that it was the wrong target — 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad.
Jodka also was expected to testify about the pressures he faced in Iraq and other mitigating circumstances, according to a statement on a Web site set up by his father.
The prosecution will likely cast Jodka's actions in a far less favorable light.
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Melson J. Bacos was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but will only serve one because of the pretrial agreement.
Pfc. John J. Jodka III was scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday. He was part of a squad of seven Marines and a Navy corpsman accused of kidnapping a man in the town of Hamdania, taking him to a roadside hole, shooting him and then trying to cover up the incident.
Jodka, 20, pleaded guilty Oct. 27 to charges of assault and conspiracy to obstruct justice. In return for the plea, prosecutors dropped other charges against him, including murder and kidnapping. He also was required to testify about the incident.
How long Jodka will spend in prison has already been established in the pretrial agreement. The judge does not know the terms of the deal and if he sentences Jodka to longer than that term, Jodka would not be liable to serve the extra time.
Jodka, of Encinitas, is the youngest and lowest ranking member of the squad, and was the first Marine in the case to get a plea deal. The Navy corpsman and two other Marines also have made plea agreements.
During his court-martial, Jodka calmly recounted his version of events, and said the group agreed to a plan formed by squad leader Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins to kidnap and kill a known insurgent. Hutchins is the last of the eight to have his case referred to court-martial.
He said he and other troops shot at a figure they could barely see in the darkness, and found out only later that it was the wrong target — 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad.
Jodka also was expected to testify about the pressures he faced in Iraq and other mitigating circumstances, according to a statement on a Web site set up by his father.
The prosecution will likely cast Jodka's actions in a far less favorable light.
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Melson J. Bacos was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but will only serve one because of the pretrial agreement.