But defense attorney Neal Puckett told The Associated Press late Thursday that he expected a full day of testimony Friday.
Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich led the squad that killed the Iraqis during raids on homes in the town of Haditha in 2005 after a roadside bomb killed one Marine. He faces nine counts of involuntary manslaughter, among other charges.
The killings still fuel anger in Iraq today and was a main reason behind the country’s demands that US troops not be given immunity from its legal system. Those demands were the deal breaker in keeping forces there after the war ended in December.
Wuterich is one of eight Marines initially charged. None has been convicted.
Wuterich has said he regretted the loss of civilian lives but believed he was operating within military combat rules. Prosecutors have argued he lost control after seeing the body of his friend blown apart.
The all-Marine jury was excused after a lunch break Wednesday, and the judge, Lt. Col. David Jones, told lawyers after jurors left the room to explore their options. He called for the court to be back in session at 1 p.m. Thursday. But 30 minutes before then, military officials told reporters the jury had been told not to come back until Friday morning.
The judge’s move led to speculation over a possible plea deal.
Puckett said prosecutors also will show outtakes from an interview that Wuterich gave in 2007 to CBS’s “60 Minutes.” The trial was delayed for years by pretrial wrangling between the defense and prosecution, including over whether the military could use the unaired outtakes. Prosecutors eventually won the right to view the footage.
