Camp Pendleton Marine accused of Iraq war crime reports back to duty after 4 years in prison

Marine in Iraq war crime case reports back to duty

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Marine Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III is reporting for duty, four years after he was imprisoned for a murder conviction in a major Iraqi war crimes case.

Hutchins tells The Associated Press he feels he will be under the microscope by the Marine Corps when he goes to work Tuesday at Camp Pendleton, north of San Diego.

The Marine from Plymouth, Mass., will handle logistics for training exercises.

Hutchins is allowed to be free while the Navy appeals the overturning of his murder conviction in April by a military court that ruled he had an unfair trial in 2007. He was released June 14.

Prosecutors say Hutchins led a squad that killed an unarmed Iraqi man then planted an AK-47 to make it appear the man was an insurgent.