After admitting that he helped eight other servicemen kidnap and kill an unarmed Iraqi, while "staging his body to appear that he was an insurgent planting a roadside bomb," Marine Lance Cpl. Tyler Jackson was sentenced to 21 months in military custody.

Jackson pleaded guilty to reduced charges of aggravated assault and conspiracy to obstruct justice in a plea deal with prosecutors. Murder and kidnapping charges against Jackson were dropped in exchange for his testimony. Of the eight serviceman originally charged in the case, the four most senior Marines still face courts-martial ....

The Marines murdered the wrong man, as described in this story. On Wednesday, Marine PFC John Jodka III, was sentenced to 18 months for participating in the kidnapping and murder.

At least 16 U.S. service personnel have been convicted or have pleaded guilty in the unwarranted killing of Iraqis since the war began in March 2003. Two received life sentences. ... The Marine Corps is still investigating whether to file murder and other charges against Marines from Camp Pendleton for the deaths of 24 Iraqis at Haditha in November 2005.