Episode 9: Safa

Twenty years after he started filming, Epstein sits down one last time with Mike Maloney and Neal Puckett. Together, they uncover new evidence in House 2, while Mike Maloney reveals, for the first time, the personal and professional price he paid for pursuing the truth rather than doing what was politically expedient.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twenty years after losing her entire family in a single morning, Epstein interviews BBC producer Lara El Gebaly, who brought all the evidence Epstein had collected in House 2 to Safa Yunis Salim Rasif in Haditha. For the first time in twenty years, Safa is told the truth about what happened at Wuterich’s trial and the name of the Marine who murdered her entire family.    BBC documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4WycNKcfyU&t=2136s The New Yorker full statement: "The New Yorker and In the Dark took great care to get permission from the surviving families before publishing photos from Haditha. A legal representative for the families, who is also a close relative of Safa Younis, confirmed that he had requested and received permission from Safa Younis to publish the photos taken in the Younis family house. Additionally, Safa Younis was among 17 surviving family members who signed a document translated into Arabic asking the U.S. military to release photos of the killing sites to the lead journalist on the reporting team. We honored surviving family members' requests to refrain from publishing certain photos and made every effort to present these images, which are deeply disturbing but newsworthy, to the public in a manner that was respectful to the victims of the killings."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt was charged with three deaths in House 4, charges the government later dismissed. Epstein sits down with Sharratt, presenting him with evidence from House 2, specifically a photograph of a 9mm shell casing in the back bedroom. Sharratt’s last words are the final, chilling epitaph of this groundbreaking investigative series.    Follow Fault Line: Haditha on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FaultLinePodcast  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After nearly six and a half years, Frank Wuterich, a Marine staff sergeant charged with 18 counts of murder, finally goes to trial. But after three weeks of confusing and often contradictory testimony from his fellow Marines, prosecutors walk away from their own case, offering Wuterich a plea to a single count of negligent dereliction of duty. The longest, most expensive criminal investigation in U.S. military history ends with no one being held accountable.   Follow Fault Line: Haditha on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FaultLinePodcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5mxf6Pt3xI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KuWPy1bL_0  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The testimony of the sole surviving witness from the back bedroom of House 2 is withheld from NCIS Special Agent Mike Maloney by Marine Corps prosecutors. Maloney is finally given Safa’s testimony while on the witness stand. For the very first time, he knows who the real killer is.   Follow Fault Line: Haditha on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FaultLinePodcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujLNmI5f2rA&t=1s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRw85fNjbG0  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the eve of his court-martial, Epstein and Wuterich travel back to Haditha in the hopes that visiting the crime scene will finally jog Wuterich’s memory. What Wuterich tells the camera in the back bedroom of House 2 changes everyone’s understanding of the entire case.   Follow Fault Line: Haditha on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FaultLinePodcast https://youtu.be/Tq5tWTF37R0 https://youtu.be/fUGgqj_DSgESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Frank Wuterich remembers the fort he built in the woods with his childhood best friend. He remembers having pea soup with his mother after coming home from Kindergarten. He can evenremember the name of the first girl he ever kissed. What he can't remember is whether or not he murdered a roomful of women and children in Haditha. This episode takes us back to Frank’s hometown as we explore the enigma that is Frank Wuterich.   Follow Fault Line: Haditha on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FaultLinePodcast https://youtu.be/ydN8JhVteKkSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NCIS Special Agent Mike Maloney prepares a forensic test to answer one question: was a three-year-old girl in the back bedroom of House 2 executed at point-blank range? But then his superiors inexplicably order Maloney to shut down his protocol before he can determine the truth. This isn't the only instance of the government interfering with Maloney’s findings. It isn’t even the worst.   Follow Fault Line: Haditha on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FaultLinePodcast https://youtu.be/Zr0aHNMt_Mo https://youtu.be/1747vzsGkiw https://youtu.be/Pgb6yIMjRH4See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Private First Class Humberto Mendoza is the first Marine to be granted immunity; his freedom traded for testimony. But once Mendoza takes the witness stand, his testimony not only contradicts the forensic evidence but also implicates a Marine other than Frank Wuterich for the murder of the women and children in House 2.   Follow Fault Line: Haditha on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FaultLinePodcast https://youtu.be/vQs86Ym9A_M https://youtu.be/StrOL1HqY60See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich is charged with 18 counts of murder in Haditha. And yet, he maintains his innocence. “There’s no way I could go into a room and shoot women and children. Not a chance in hell,” he tells Epstein. But here’s the thing, when asked, “Who did it? If you didn’t shoot everyone, who did?” Wuterich claims he can’t remember, something even his own lawyers don’t believe.   Follow Fault Line: Haditha on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FaultLinePodcast https://youtu.be/z1zz2ynz0Ug https://youtu.be/-nPF6yGVpbYSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.