NY Post, February 11, 2005 -- A Manhattan Marine is facing a possible death sentence after shooting two Iraqis fleeing a suspected terror hideout in the Sunni Triangle.
Second Lt. Ilario Pantano, 33, has been charged with premeditated murder and with "numerous violations" of military law, the Marine Corps said.
Pantano was commanding a platoon in April 2004, searching for a terrorist hideout and weapons, his mother, Merry Pantano, said.
"Isn't it amazing?" she said. "He can face the death penalty for doing his job on the battlefield, making split-second decisions.
"He said it was self-defense in the situation that he was in."
Pantano has admitted shooting the two men as the fled the hideout, but his lawyer, Charles Gittins, said it wasn't murder.
"Even if he's wrong, accidents happen in combat," Gittins said. "This was a very stressful situation. These two guys were bad guys. . . . He said, 'Stop' and they didn't, and he said it in Arabic."
Gittins also said that Pantano was cleared by his commanders in a battlefield investigation of the incident.
Pantano's mother said her son is a "wonderful person" who is "such a warrior."
"I feel this is going to turn out OK," she said. "I'm so grateful my son is alive. I'm fortunate he came back in one piece."
The Marines had no comment, except to say the investigatory hearing process had started.
"There apparently was a disgruntled enlisted man involved," Gittins said. "The lieutenant reported it to his chain of command after it happened, and they investigated and said, 'Good to go.' Then three months, later a disgruntled enlisted man makes a complaint."
Pantano will be the subject of an Article 32 hearing to determine whether he should face a court-martial. No date for the hearing has been set.
Pantano is stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina as he awaits his fate.
His parents have launched a Web site — defendthedefenders.org — to publicize their son's plight.
"This is something we can deal with," Merry Pantano said. " He's focused. He's doing everything he can to fight these charges." With Post Wire Services |
