Marine sniper involved in controversial Taliban video found dead

by Brian Kolfage

A Marine Corps Scout Sniper who battled his senior leadership in a public legal battle was found dead in his home Wednesday night.

Retired Cpl. Robert Richards was 28 years old and was found dead inside his home in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

A Marine Corps combat veteran who endured a long, public legal battle with the service’s senior leadership was found dead Wednesday night. According to his attorney, an autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause of death, but they are ruling out a self-inflicted suicide.

Richards was a talented scout sniper with many tours to Afghanistan notched on his belt. In 2010 he was severely wounded in combat and was praised by his peers and superiors for his combat prowess and leadership ability. He was then hand-picked to serve as a scout sniper leader for 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines during his 2011 deployment to Afghanistan.

On that tour Richards and three Marines filmed a video of themselves urinating of the dead bodies of Taliban members who killed, desecrated and dismembered other Marines. The video was leaked in 2012 and went viral causing international fallout.  The prosecution went stale when allegations that the U.S. Marine Corps Commandant , General Amos and his legal advisers manipulated the justice process in order to guarantee the Marines were punished severely.

Richards is going to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. More about his legal battle can be found on his page http://www.defendsgtrichards.com/

See video and documents here.

http://woundedamericanwarrior.com/marine-sniper-involved-controversial-taliban-video-found-dead/