Afghan killing suspect arrives at Lewis-McChord for hearing
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - A U.S. soldier accused of an Afghan killing spree was flown to Washington state from Kansas on Saturday in preparation for a military court hearing next month, his attorney says.
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales has been held at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., since the killings last March. He was flown Saturday to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where a pretrial hearing in the case is set to begin on Nov. 5, said his attorney, John Henry Browne.
The hearing, known in military parlance as an Article 32 hearing, is expected to last two weeks. Afghan villagers who witnessed the attacks are expected to testify by video from Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan.
Browne said he plans to fly to Afghanistan to cross-examine the witnesses, while other members of the defense team remain at Lewis-McChord, near Tacoma.
Investigators say Bales, a father of two from Lake Tapps, was equipped with a 9-mm pistol and M-4 rifle outfitted with a grenade launcher when he walked off his base in southern Afghanistan on March 11, attacked two local villages and burned some of the victims' bodies.
Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, an investigating officer must determine the sufficiency of the charges against a defendant before the case can proceed to a court martial. The officer reviews evidence and hears from witnesses during the Article 32 hearing, then makes a decision.
Bales faces 16 counts of premeditated murder; six of attempted murder; seven of assault; one of possessing steroids; one of using steroids; one of destroying a laptop computer; one of burning bodies; and one of using alcohol.
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales has been held at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., since the killings last March. He was flown Saturday to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where a pretrial hearing in the case is set to begin on Nov. 5, said his attorney, John Henry Browne.
The hearing, known in military parlance as an Article 32 hearing, is expected to last two weeks. Afghan villagers who witnessed the attacks are expected to testify by video from Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan.
Browne said he plans to fly to Afghanistan to cross-examine the witnesses, while other members of the defense team remain at Lewis-McChord, near Tacoma.
Investigators say Bales, a father of two from Lake Tapps, was equipped with a 9-mm pistol and M-4 rifle outfitted with a grenade launcher when he walked off his base in southern Afghanistan on March 11, attacked two local villages and burned some of the victims' bodies.
Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, an investigating officer must determine the sufficiency of the charges against a defendant before the case can proceed to a court martial. The officer reviews evidence and hears from witnesses during the Article 32 hearing, then makes a decision.
Bales faces 16 counts of premeditated murder; six of attempted murder; seven of assault; one of possessing steroids; one of using steroids; one of destroying a laptop computer; one of burning bodies; and one of using alcohol.
I don't understand what happened to your mind..... but..... That being said I wonder if I.E.D's, losing friends and constant threat led you to snap.... Go easy soldier.
Sad too, this guy had a lot to come home for...  Obviously psycho at some level and the war finished him off that way.  As someone below points out, he is at the mercy of military justice.  Not that the outcome in either a civilian or military justice system is going to or can do much for him. Â
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My heart goes out to those innocents he killed and his family but also to his fellow solders in arms and their commanders who have been dealing with the consequences.
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Bales faces 16 counts of premeditated murder; six of attempted murder; seven of assault; one of possessing steroids; one of using steroids; one of destroying a laptop computer; one of burning bodies; and one of using alcohol.
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I had no idea he also destroyed a laptop. Â what was he hiding there? Â He deserves the death penalty. Â He chose to abuse steroids and alcohol before murdering children while they screamed in horror. Â
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Rarely do I ever defend the death penalty.  In this case I do with a clear conscience.Â
Before any of this happened the man was probably witness to things that would trash the average person's mind. I am not saying what he did was right, but in my mind this whole thing
is not as cut and dried as it would seem. Some use drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism and apparently this man was pushed to a point where even that did no good. No matter which way it goes this man has already lost everything he had to loose to begin with.
 @Andrew Bush how about due process?
@Komo Dragon @Andrew Bush I hate to inforn you but once you take that oath for the mi;itary all rights are gone except those in the UCMJ.