U.S. Marine Pleads Guilty To Urinating On Dead Taliban Fighters

A screen grab from a YouTube video showing Marines urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban soldiers in Afghanistan.

A U.S. Marine has pleaded guilty to urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

Staff Sergeant Edward Deptola said he knew desecrating the corpses and posing for the "trophy photographs" was wrong.

He offered no excuse for the behavior during his court-martial at North Carolina's Camp Lejeune.

Although the judge presiding at Deptola's trial recommended a stiffer sentence, the maximum penalty he will face under the terms of a pretrial agreement is a reduction in rank to sergeant.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP