Accused Marine's Wife Says He Is Scared

June 22, 2006 — -- The wife of one of the seven Marines charged with premeditated murder in the shooting death of an unarmed Iraqi man says her husband is a good father and a dedicated Marine who is scared about his future.

"Life is flashing before his eyes," said Erica Thomas, wife of Marine Cpl. Trent D. Thomas. "And he is scared and not knowing exactly what is going on. He keeps asking me, 'What's happening? What is the news saying?' What is his lawyer saying? He's worried."

Thomas, six Marines and a Navy corpsman are accused of murder, kidnapping, assault, conspiracy, larceny and housebreaking in the death of a 52-year-old disabled Iraqi man named Hashim Ibrahim Awad in the town of Hamdania in April.

The others facing charges are Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins III; Marine Cpl. Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Melson J. Bacos; Marine Lance Cpl. Tyler A. Jackson; Marine Pfc. John J. Jackson; Marine Lance Cpl. Jerry E. Shumate Jr.; Marine Lance Cpl. Robert B. Pennington; and Marine Cpl. Marshall L. Magincalda.

The troops are members of the Pendleton-based 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines Regiment and are being held at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base in California.

Four of the eight are also accused of having provided false statements to investigators.

According to witnesses, the Marines dragged Awad from his home in the middle of the night and shot him repeatedly. Witnesses said the Marines then planted a stolen shovel and an AK-47 rifle on his body to make it look like he was an insurgent killed as he was planting a roadside bomb.

"I hope those responsible will get what they deserve," said Awad's brother, Sadoon Awad.

A Family's Nightmare

Erica Thomas said that her husband had given much of his life to the Marines and had missed the birth of the couple's 1-year-old daughter, Kayla.

Thomas' defense attorney, Victor Kelley, who spent 20 years in the Marines, says his client is an "inspiration."

Erica Thomas said that the investigation had been a nightmare for her family. She and Kayla visit Thomas in jail on the weekend. Although she is hopeful her husband's case will have a positive outcome, she is confused about what led to the charges.

"This is still new to me and it doesn't make sense," she said. "The whole thing is shocking, and he shouldn't be there. He was shocked and disappointed, feeling down. How anyone else would feel. He had high hopes that the military would drop this and then they got shot down. But I still think things can go his way. I still have high hopes."

Kelley said that murder cases during wartime were difficult because so much of what happened in battle was not black and white but rested somewhere in between.

"These Marines have been in a combat zone -- some like Cpl. Thomas for more than three years -- and they are under enormous stress," Kelley said. "It's a very difficult situation and a gray one."

Improper Investigation?

A defense lawyer for another Marine said that some of the military investigators had used improper evidence to obtain statements from the men.

Kelley was not aware of the lawyer's statements but said investigators often used improper techniques to obtain incriminating statements.

"The sad fact is that the law lets investigators use trickery as a legitimate investigative technique," Kelley said. "But if a defendant lies, it's a felony. It's a double standard."

Military sources told ABC News that all but one of the accused Marines had confessed to the killing and alleged coverup. Terry Pennington, father of accused Marine Robert B. Pennington, says the confessions are bogus.

"They threatened them with the death penalty if they didn't agree to sign some prefabricated statement," he said. "They did everything you can imagine, I think, short of actual physical laying-on-of-hands type torture."

Erica Thomas is holding out hope that she, her husband and daughter will soon be reunited when he is vindicated. Until then, she said she was trying to remain strong.

"It's an up-and-down roller coaster," she said. "I am staying strong and am there for my husband. I am just doing what I can for him and standing beside him."

ABC News' Jonathan Karl contributed to this report