Los Angeles — A Connecticut Marine will be court-martialed on reduced charges in the killings of 24 Iraqi men, women and children in the town of Haditha in 2005, the Marine Corps announced Monday.

Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, 27, of Meriden, will stand trial on charges of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, dereliction of duty and obstruction of justice. No trial date was set.

More serious charges of unpremeditated murder, as well as charges of soliciting another to commit an offense and making a false official statement, were dismissed by the Marine Corps.

Wuterich's prosecution is part of the biggest U.S. criminal case involving civilian deaths to come out of the Iraq war.

Four enlisted Marines were initially charged with murder in the case, and four officers were charged with failing to investigate the deaths. Charges against several of the men have been dropped, and none will face murder charges.

The Marine Corps also announced Monday that 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson would face court-martial on charges of making false official statements, obstruction of justice and attempting to fraudulently separate from the Marine Corps.

Wuterich's attorney, Mark Zaid, said his client was “disappointed but prepared” for the general's decision and said Wuterich would plead not guilty at his arraignment early in January.

“We remain completely optimistic that he will be acquitted,” Zaid said.

Grayson's attorney, Joseph Casas, said the government was “grasping at straws” by pursuing charges against his client and released a brief statement from his client.

“I am saddened and disappointed by my Marine Corps' decision to come after me this way,” Grayson said in the statement. “This past year has been a crucible for my family and I, but we're confident that 2008 will bring good things — including my full acquittal.”

Grayson, an intelligence officer, was not present at the scene of the killings, but is accused of telling a sergeant to delete photographs of the dead from his digital camera.

The killings occurred Nov. 19, 2005, after a roadside bomb hit a Marine convoy, killing the driver of a Humvee and wounding two other Marines. Wuterich and a squad member, Sgt. Sanick Dela Cruz, allegedly shot five men by a car at the scene. Wuterich then ordered his men into several houses, where they cleared rooms with grenades and gunfire, killing unarmed civilians in the process.

At his preliminary hearing, Wuterich said that he regretted the loss of civilian life but that he believed he was coming under fire from the homes and was operating within the rules of engagement when he ordered his men to assault the buildings.

Wuterich faces a sentence of up to 160 years in prison if convicted of all counts, Marine spokesman Lt. Col. Sean Gibson said, though experts say such an outcome is extremely unlikely.

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