Marine sniper demoted over urination

CAMP LEJEUNE (AP) — A Marine Corps sniper captured on a YouTube video urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan is being reduced in rank after pleading guilty at a court-martial.

Marine Corps spokesman Col. Sean Gibson says Sgt. Robert W. Richards of Seminole, Fla., was tried Wednesday at Camp Lejeune and was reduced one rank to corporal.

The video got international attention. It shows four Marines in full combat gear urinating on the bodies of three Afghans in July 2011.

Richards faced a number of charges including dereliction of duty and violating orders. Military prosecutors said Richards had filmed himself and others urinating on the corpses.

Gibson says Richards’ sentence means eight Marines have been punished for their involvement in the incident through administrative punishments or courts-martial.