Nelson court-martial delayed by defense motions

[unhappycamper]

Nelson court-martial delayed by defense motions
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Feb 17, 2009 21:45:41 EST

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — The start of a Marine’s court-martial was delayed Tuesday by at least a day after his defense attorney filed the first in a string of special motions.

Attorney Joseph Low said he had filed a motion requesting a new expert witness who would testify about post-traumatic stress disorder at the trial of Sgt. Jermaine Nelson, who is charged with unpremeditated murder and dereliction of duty after he allegedly killed an unarmed captive during a battle in Iraq.

Jury selection for the court-martial had been slated for Tuesday but Low said lengthy deliberations over his witness request made it unlikely the trial would begin before Wednesday afternoon and could possibly be delayed for weeks. He said he had 12 other motions to file, mainly concerning the type of evidence that would be allowed in court.

Nelson and his squad mate Sgt. Ryan Weemer, of Hindsboro, Ill., are alleged to each have killed an unarmed detainee after a group of men was captured in a house in Fallujah during a lull in a fierce battle.

Weemer is scheduled to stand trial in a separate court-martial March 30.


Rest of article at: http://marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/02/ap_court_martial_021709/%2e