"U.S. soldiers must follow the laws of war. That's what makes us better than the terrorists," Mackey said. "These soldiers did just the opposite. They cut them (the three detainees) loose and murdered them in cold blood."

"For this, they are not war heroes, they are war criminals. And justice states that they face trial," Mackey said.

"Take a look at how they did it: They cut all three of the detainees loose at one time. These detainees were standing; they cut them free" before shooting them, the prosecutor said.

Mackey cited the testimony of Pfc. Bradley Mason, who told the hearing this week that the soldiers in his unit finalized the plan to kill the detainees during the mission.

The investigating officer must now decide whether the evidence warrants a court-martial. The military continues to investigate other killings of Iraqis by soldiers, including the deaths of about two dozen unarmed civilians in Haditha. Six Marines were charged this week with assaulting civilians in Hamdania; three of those Marines are also charged with murdering an Iraqi.