Marine tells how he was lured to shack

[thedrifter]

Marine tells how he was lured to shack


Attempted-murder hearing under way

By Liz Neely
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

August 2, 2003

Chief Warrant Officer James H. Glass thought he was going to help settle a dispute between two other Marines when he was asked to rendezvous at an empty guard shack in Kuwait during the early morning of May 14.

At least that's what Chief Warrant Officer Larry A. Framness told him, Glass said yesterday during the second day of testimony in a military court hearing for Framness at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Framness is accused of conspiring with his longtime mistress, Glass' wife, to kill James Glass.

The two men met outside the shack at 1:30 a.m., but the other two Marines weren't there, Glass said. As he waited inside the cramped wooden structure, prosecutors say, Framness stepped outside, then lobbed a grenade. Military officials said Framness hoped it would look like a terrorist attack.

Seconds later, Glass said, there was an explosion. Bleeding and covered in dirt, he stumbled from the shack with shrapnel embedded in his legs, arms and neck. From the witness stand, Glass admitted it now seems odd he would have agreed to the meeting.

"I thought it was strange, but I had no idea one of my fellow Marines would try to kill me," Glass, 38, testified.

Framness, 36, is charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, adultery and several other charges under the military justice system. He could spend his life in prison if convicted of the most serious charges.

The hearing is scheduled to continue Monday before Maj. Michael Tencate, the investigating officer. He will analyze the evidence and advise Framness' commanding officer, who then will decide whether to recommend going to court-martial.

Framness and Glass, both members of Marine Wing Support Squadron 371 based in Yuma, Ariz., were deployed to Kuwait for the war. Although furious at catching his wife, Wendy, and Framness in bed together months before, James Glass testified he thought it was "a one-time thing."

Wendy Glass, however, has admitted that she and Framness had been having an affair for 18 months. Both have been indicted by a federal court in Arizona and each is charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit murder. Wendy Glass is awaiting a trial to be held in Arizona.

Prosecutors say the couple wanted James Glass out of the way so they could cash a $350,000 life insurance policy and finally be together. Wendy Glass, 33, has testified she and Framness devised several plans to kill her husband, beginning in October 2002.

Still wearing his wedding ring, James Glass acknowledged his marriage was unstable in the months before the grenade attack.

"I wasn't a very nice person during those times," James Glass testified. "I was going through periods of depression. I was gone all the time."

Marine officials have prohibited Glass from contacting his wife, who is now with the couple's 9-and 11-year-old daughters in Mississippi. But he spoke to her in the days after the attack, Glass said, and she told him she had no intention of carrying out plans to kill him.

"It seemed like a game to her," Glass said, "a way of working out her frustrations against me."

Glass underwent three surgeries for his wounds but says he has fully recovered.

During testimony from other military witnesses, Framness' attorneys questioned the methods investigators used to gather evidence and interrogate Framness. Defense attorney Jeremiah Sullivan said the Naval Criminal Investigating Service, the lead agency handling the case, has not turned over all documents related to its investigation.

Military officials said they are trying to locate that evidence, which could be discussed Monday.


http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/m...m2testify.html
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Liz Neely: (760) 476-8239; liz.neely@uniontrib.com


Sempers,

Roger