Show Notes
For twenty years, the United States Marine Corps has tried to bury the truth about Haditha. In 2005, 24 civilians were killed by a squad of United States Marines in the Iraqi city of Haditha, a massacre that became one of the most notorious and controversial incidents of the war. What followed was a years-long battle over what really happened, who would be held accountable, and how far the Marine Corps would go to protect itself. At the center of the story is NCIS Special Agent Michael Maloney, the most senior forensic consultant assigned to the case. As Maloney examined the evidence, he discovered that prosecutors hid from him a key eyewitness, sponsored perjured testimony, and granted immunity to Marines who were likely guilty of murder. When Maloney spoke up, he came under intense political pressure to alter his findings and his testimony in the case. Now, for the first time, the complete story is finally being told. Based on over 100 hours of documentary footage shot without the government's knowledge or permission, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Michael Epstein delivers a gripping investigative series that finally reveals the truth about the Haditha Massacre and the government cover-up that followed.
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More from Fault Line: Haditha
After nearly six and a half years, Frank Wuterich, a Marine staff sergeant charged with 18 counts of murder, finally goes to trial. But after three weeks of confusing and often contradictory testimony from his fellow Marines, prosecutors walk away from their own case, offering Wuterich a plea to a single count of negligent dereliction of duty. The longest, most expensive criminal investigation in U.S. military history ends with no one being held accountable. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The testimony of the sole surviving witness from the back bedroom of House 2 is withheld from NCIS Special Agent Mike Maloney by Marine Corps prosecutors. Maloney is finally given Safa’s testimony while on the witness stand. For the very first time, he knows who the real killer is. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On the eve of his court-martial, Epstein and Wuterich travel back to Haditha in the hopes that visiting the crime scene will finally jog Wuterich’s memory. What Wuterich tells the camera in the back bedroom of House 2 changes everyone’s understanding of the entire case.
Frank Wuterich remembers the fort he built in the woods with his childhood best friend. He remembers having pea soup with his mother after coming home from Kindergarten. He can evenremember the name of the first girl he ever kissed. What he can't remember is whether or not he murdered a roomful of women and children in Haditha. This episode takes us back to Frank’s hometown as we explore the enigma that is Frank Wuterich.
NCIS Special Agent Mike Maloney prepares a forensic test to answer one question: was a three-year-old girl in the back bedroom of House 2 executed at point-blank range? But then his superiors inexplicably order Maloney to shut down his protocol before he can determine the truth. This isn't the only instance of the government interfering with Maloney’s findings. It isn’t even the worst.