Thursday, 4:30 PM
Plymouth Marine convicted of murdering Iraqi civilian
By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff
A Marine Corps squad leader from Plymouth was convicted today of murdering an Iraqi civilian during a frustrated search for an insurgent.
Sergeant Lawrence G. Hutchins III, 23, faces a maximum punishment of life in prison without parole. He had been charged with premeditated murder, but premeditation was stricken from the verdict that was returned by a military jury at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
A verdict of premeditated murder would have meant a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Hutchins was also convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, making a false official statement, and larceny. He was acquitted of kidnapping, assault, and housebreaking.
Hutchins stood rigidly and stared straight ahead in the silent courtroom as the verdict was read. A few minutes later he answered a procedural question with a loud and clear, "Yes, sir."
The verdict stunned friends and family who had steadfastly maintained his innocence and said he was not capable of committing such a crime.
"No one who knew him believed he could ever do the things they said he did," said Mary Hale, a neighbor who has known Hutchins since he was a small boy. "You just can't picture it. It's just impossible for us to believe."
