Case moves forward against Marine who videotaped urination incident

The Marine Corps will hold a pre-trial hearing next week for the Marine accused of shooting video of Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

Sgt. Robert Richards is accused of videotaping Marines urinating on dead Taliban fighters, which drew widespread condemnation last year when it appeared on the Internet.

Richards was charged in January with dereliction of duty and violation of a lawful general order for his role in the incident, as well as for failing to properly supervise fellow marines and the indiscriminate firing of weapons.

The Article 32 hearing is scheduled at Camp Lejune, N.C., where it will be determined whether Richards will face court martial.

The urination video was shot in Helmand province in Afghanistan in July 2011, but it did not surface until January 2012.

Two other Marines have faced court martial and pleaded guilty to charges relating to the incident.

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