Navy SEAL McCabe Found Not Guilty

Yeah baby. 3 for 3 NOT GUILTY!

Navy SEAL McCabe Found Not Guilty
May 7, 2010 - 1:04 AM |
By Steve Centanni, Pat Summers and Gretchen Gailey

NORFOLK – It only took a 7-member jury one hour and 40 minutes Thursday afternoon to find Navy SEAL Matthew McCabe not guilty on all counts. McCabe had been charged with assault for allegedly roughing up Ahmed Hashim Abed, the accused terrorist who allegedly masterminded the grisly killings six years ago of four American contractors in Iraq.

In closing arguments, prosecution attorney Lt. Jason Grover said, “This is a simple case, but not an easy one. Nobody wants to believe a decorated Navy SEAL would assault a detainee.” Grover also argued that a key prosecution witness, Petty Officer Kevin Demartino, had no reason to lie when he testified that he saw McCabe punch the prisoner in the stomach.

“What’s Dimartino’s motive to blame his shipmates?” asked Grover. “If he was looking for an explanation for something that happened on his watch, he had an easy one right in front of him,” the prosecutor argued. “He could just say the terrorist did it to himself.”

Which is exactly what the defense argued in this case. Defense attorney Haytham Faraj, in his closing argument, insists McCabe acted honorably. Faraj asked the jury, “Why didn’t McCabe just shoot Abed in the first place?”

“These SEALs,” he continues, referring to McCabe and two other SEALs charged in the case, “had motives, they had opportunities, but they’re professionals.” Faraj insists, “Everyone has to be lying for the government’s case to be believed.”

The jury of six men and one woman received the case at 4:15 Thursday afternoon.

This follows four days of pre-trial motions, jury selection and testimony before a Judge Advocate General, Captain Moira Modelewski, at the Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia.

Another of the Navy SEALs charged in connection with the Abed case, Petty Officer First Class Julio Huertas, took the stand for the defense Thursday morning.
He said that he and the other two Navy SEALs, McCabe and Jonathan Keefe, did visit the detention facility where Abed was being held on the night of the alleged incident.
But, he insists, there was no assault. He says they only dropped by to see if Dimartino, who was in charge of the holding facility, needed anything. Huertas and Keefe were found not guilty last month in separate trials in Baghdad.

The defense called an oral surgeon Thursday who testified by phone from Baghdad. He said Abed might have bitten an ulcer on his lip, causing it to bleed. Defense attorneys said this validated their position that no assault occurred and that Al Qaeda detainees are trained to injure themselves then claim abuse.

Earlier, after the prosecution and defense both rested their cases, prosecutors Thursday announced they needed time to present a rebuttal. They were basically trying to rehabilitate their key witness, Demartino, whose character and credibility had been questioned by a string of defense witnesses Wednesday, many of them Navy SEALs. One of Demartino’s former superior officers, testifying as a rebuttal witness, called Demartino “one of my top sailors—I can depend on him for anything.”

Defense witnesses on Wednesday had painted a picture of Demartino as unstable, unreliable and, after the incident with Abed, “distraught.” According to testimony, Demartino was worried his career would be ruined because a prisoner claimed abuse on his watch, and that he would no longer have a chance for his dream job with the California Highway Patrol. This, the defense claimed, gave Demartino a motive to lie. Demartino did not immediately report the alleged assault to his superiors and admits to dereliction of duty. The defense suggested that since Demartino initially said nothing about an assault, he’s an unreliable witness.

The defense also continued throughout the trial to cast doubt on the English translation of Abed’s audio-taped testimony, claiming it was unreliable, which creates an element of doubt. As in civilian courts, a defendant—in this case McCabe--must be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Four of the seven jurors would have had to vote to convict for McCabe to have been found guilty.

Thursday afternoon, prosecutors suffered an apparent setback when a witness they called supported the defense position on disputed statements submitted in writing by two Navy SEALs in Iraq shortly after the alleged assault. The prosecution claimed the two SEALs, Jonathan Keefe and Matthew McCabe, colluded to get their stories straight, because their statements appeared to be identical. But this witness acknowledged the statements of two SEALs on the same mission often coincide.

Abed was captured in a surprise raid by the Navy SEALs in Fallujah, Iraq, in September of last year. The murders he’s accused of masterminding were a turning point in the Iraq war, galvanizing the U.S. military to launch a major offensive against the insurgents in Fallujah. The bodies of the four Americans were burned and dragged through the streets, and two of them were hung from a bridge over the Euphrates River.

Ever since charges were brought against the Navy SEALs last year, there has been a huge outpouring of popular support for the defendants. Rallies were held at which the men were described as heroes rather than criminals. Websites helped raise defense funds and at least 20 members of Congress called for the charges against them to be dropped. The military, however, insists it has a zero tolerance for detainee abuse and that all members of the services are duty-bound to follow the law.

Persecution of Navy SEALs

This article came from Rightsidenews.com.

Navy Seals Arrested for the Smack Down of Terrorist Ahmed Hashim Abed
Written by Jim Simpson
Tuesday, 24 November 2009 21:11
Notorious terrorist captured - SEAL captors arrested

First we had Congressman John Murtha accusing US Marines of atrocities in Haditha, Iraq - a blatant lie based on false information supplied by the enemy. Those Marines had to face an arduous multi-year trial despite the obvious fabrication of evidence, and it is still not over for some. Next we have the Obama administration seeking to soothe Muslim fears about "backlash" after a Muslim Major commits the first successful act of terrorism on our soil since 9/11, while they withhold evidence about the case from Congress and do little to investigate the nature of the attack. Now we have the spectre of seeing three U.S. Navy SEALs arrested because the terrorist they captured claims he was punched!

Who is the enemy here? Four SEALs captured Ahmed Hashim Abed, codenamed "Objective Amber" on September 3rd. Abed was the ringleader of the group who ambushed four security contractors in Fallujah in 2004, and hung their burned bodies on a bridge.

But now he is claiming he got a bloody lip. and the Navy is prosecuting! These people are insane!

Give the SEALs a medal for a dangerous, thankless job well done, and suggest that Abed get on his knees and thank God he wasn't captured by some of his own kind.

What I want to see is an investigation of the Navy legal team and the chain of command that ordered this! When they are uncovered and exposed, they need to be stripped of rank and summarily dismissed - maybe into the hands of the kind folks of Fallujah. Outrage doesn't begin to describe this travesty.

I'm sure this administration will want these SEALs given a fair trial at an appropriate venue. To demonstrate their fairness and balance to the terrorists, they'll probably choose GITMO.

Now I ask you dear reader what the fuck has happened to America in the last 10 months? I understand that we have gotten soft as a people but the biggest cause of fear is clearly the pussification of our military. Now I do not speak of the regular G.I. Joe the guy putting his/her life on the line. I am talking of the higher-ups. The politically savy officers looking for a way to get promoted. That is the reason for the Fort Hood massacre and the prosecution of these SEALs. These are the fuckers with no balls who just want to get over on someone no matter the consequences for others. They did not tell anyone about the fucking murdering bastard muslim fuckwad psychiatrist who hated America and the military. This was out of fear of being labeled a racist or a bigot and possibly having a mark on their record if they were wrong. How are you pussies feeling now?

Prosecuting SEALs for a fat lip on a fucking murdering body burning bastard muslim fuckwad terrorist captured in a war zone is complete and total insanity. SEALs are the best of the best of the best and the same can be said of their training. Physical and psychological. These are not run of the mill men these are real heroes that get the shittiest jobs with the highest difficulties and least chance for survival. These men perform unbelievable acts of bravery, camaraderie and humanity; words that mean something to them and to all red blooded, Constitution loving Americans. These words cannot be used in any way, shape or form to describe any allah worshipping terrorist fuckwad piece of shit. Way back when I first started this blog I wrote about John Walker Lindh and how he should be treated. The SEALs acted with the utmost restraint with Abed, I am pissed all he walked away with was a fat lip, this fucker should not have walked away to make these allegations. But he did and one of the higher-ups need a promotion and in Obama's America you do that by persecution Americans and especially our military personnel. Yes my friends we are at war unfortunately it is with Obama and his administration and everyone who thinks like him friends, neighbors and strangers. Three more years of this shit? I do not think he will make it, I do believe in my heart of hearts that the people will revolt, for me it cannot come soon enough. Pray and give thanks for the men and women in the field and these persecuted SEALs this Thanksgiving and pray for the souls of those who oppose them and at the same time us.