Marine sent to Camp Pendleton after murder conviction overturned in Iraqi war crimes case

Marine sent to Calif. after conviction overturned

SAN DIEGO — Jailed Marine Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III has been returned to Camp Pendleton in California where he will remain in confinement until the outcome of his case is decided.

Convicted of murder, Hutchins has been serving an 11-year sentence in a military prison in Leavenworth, Kan., in one of the biggest criminal cases to emerge from the Iraq war.

Prosecutors say Hutchins led a squad that killed a man who was dragged from his home in the Iraqi village of Hamdania in 2006.

A military appeals court overturned the conviction on April 22, saying he was given an unfair trial. Prosecutors have until May 22 to decide whether to appeal.

Marine Corps spokesman Lt. Col. David Griesmer says Hutchins was back on the base in San Diego County on Friday.