U.S. Army seeks death penalty in 16 Afghan killings
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SEATTLE (AP) - The U.S. Army said Wednesday it will seek the death penalty against the soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers in a predawn rampage in March, a decision his lawyer called "totally irresponsible."
The announcement followed a pretrial hearing last month for Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, 39, who faces premeditated murder and other charges in the attack on two villages in southern Afghanistan.
The slayings drew such angry protests that the U.S. temporarily halted combat operations in Afghanistan, and it was three weeks before American investigators could reach the crime scenes.
Prosecutors said Bales left his remote southern Afghanistan base early on March 11, attacked one village and returned to the base, then slipped away again to attack another nearby compound. Of the 16 people killed, nine were children.
No date has been set for Bales' court martial, which will be held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle.
His civilian lawyer, John Henry Browne, told The Associated Press he met with Army officials last week to argue his client shouldn't face the possibility of the death penalty, given that Bales was serving his fourth deployment in a war zone when the killings occurred.
"The Army is not taking responsibility for Sgt. Bales and other soldiers that the Army knowingly sends into combat situations with diagnosed PTSD, concussive head injuries and other injuries," Browne said. "The Army is trying to take the focus off the failure of its decisions, and the failure of the war itself, and making Sgt. Bales out to be a rogue soldier."
Bales' wife, Kari Bales, said in a statement Wednesday that she and their children have been enjoying their weekend visits with Bales at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and she hopes he receives an impartial trial.
"I no longer know if a fair trial for Bob is possible, but it very much is my hope, and I will have faith," she said.
Bales' defense team has said the government's case is incomplete, and outside experts have said a key issue going forward will be to determine if Bales suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Bales grew up in the Cincinnati suburb of Norwood, Ohio, and served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
During last month's preliminary hearing, prosecutors built a strong eyewitness case against the veteran soldier, with troops recounting how they saw Bales return to the base alone, covered in blood. One soldier testified that Bales woke him up in the middle of the night, saying he had just shot people at one village and that he was heading out again to attack another. The soldier said he didn't believe Bales and went back to sleep.
Afghan witnesses questioned via a video link from a forward operating base near Kandahar City described the horror of that night. A teenage boy recalled how the gunman kept firing as children scrambled, yelling: "We are children! We are children!" A young girl in a bright headscarf recalled hiding behind her father as he was shot to death.
An Army criminal investigations command special agent testified earlier that Bales tested positive for steroids three days after the killings, and other soldiers testified that Bales had been drinking the evening of the massacre.
Prosecutors, in asking for a court-martial trial, have pointed to statements Bales made after he was apprehended, saying his comments demonstrated a "clear memory of what he had done, and consciousness of wrongdoing."
Several soldiers testified at a hearing that Bales returned to the base alone just before dawn, covered in blood, and that he made incriminating statements such as, "I thought I was doing the right thing."
The U.S. military has not executed anyone since 1961. There are five men currently facing military death sentences, but none for killings committed in war zones, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Nidal Hasan, charged in the 2009 rampage that killed 13 and wounded more than two dozen others at Fort Hood in Texas, also could face the death penalty if convicted; no date has been set for his court martial.
For Bales to face execution, the court martial jury must unanimously find him guilty of premeditated murder. They also must determine that at least one aggravating factor applies, such as multiple or child victims, and that the aggravating factor substantially outweighs any extenuating or mitigating circumstances.
The announcement followed a pretrial hearing last month for Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, 39, who faces premeditated murder and other charges in the attack on two villages in southern Afghanistan.
The slayings drew such angry protests that the U.S. temporarily halted combat operations in Afghanistan, and it was three weeks before American investigators could reach the crime scenes.
Prosecutors said Bales left his remote southern Afghanistan base early on March 11, attacked one village and returned to the base, then slipped away again to attack another nearby compound. Of the 16 people killed, nine were children.
No date has been set for Bales' court martial, which will be held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle.
His civilian lawyer, John Henry Browne, told The Associated Press he met with Army officials last week to argue his client shouldn't face the possibility of the death penalty, given that Bales was serving his fourth deployment in a war zone when the killings occurred.
"The Army is not taking responsibility for Sgt. Bales and other soldiers that the Army knowingly sends into combat situations with diagnosed PTSD, concussive head injuries and other injuries," Browne said. "The Army is trying to take the focus off the failure of its decisions, and the failure of the war itself, and making Sgt. Bales out to be a rogue soldier."
Bales' wife, Kari Bales, said in a statement Wednesday that she and their children have been enjoying their weekend visits with Bales at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and she hopes he receives an impartial trial.
"I no longer know if a fair trial for Bob is possible, but it very much is my hope, and I will have faith," she said.
Bales' defense team has said the government's case is incomplete, and outside experts have said a key issue going forward will be to determine if Bales suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Bales grew up in the Cincinnati suburb of Norwood, Ohio, and served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
During last month's preliminary hearing, prosecutors built a strong eyewitness case against the veteran soldier, with troops recounting how they saw Bales return to the base alone, covered in blood. One soldier testified that Bales woke him up in the middle of the night, saying he had just shot people at one village and that he was heading out again to attack another. The soldier said he didn't believe Bales and went back to sleep.
Afghan witnesses questioned via a video link from a forward operating base near Kandahar City described the horror of that night. A teenage boy recalled how the gunman kept firing as children scrambled, yelling: "We are children! We are children!" A young girl in a bright headscarf recalled hiding behind her father as he was shot to death.
An Army criminal investigations command special agent testified earlier that Bales tested positive for steroids three days after the killings, and other soldiers testified that Bales had been drinking the evening of the massacre.
Prosecutors, in asking for a court-martial trial, have pointed to statements Bales made after he was apprehended, saying his comments demonstrated a "clear memory of what he had done, and consciousness of wrongdoing."
Several soldiers testified at a hearing that Bales returned to the base alone just before dawn, covered in blood, and that he made incriminating statements such as, "I thought I was doing the right thing."
The U.S. military has not executed anyone since 1961. There are five men currently facing military death sentences, but none for killings committed in war zones, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Nidal Hasan, charged in the 2009 rampage that killed 13 and wounded more than two dozen others at Fort Hood in Texas, also could face the death penalty if convicted; no date has been set for his court martial.
For Bales to face execution, the court martial jury must unanimously find him guilty of premeditated murder. They also must determine that at least one aggravating factor applies, such as multiple or child victims, and that the aggravating factor substantially outweighs any extenuating or mitigating circumstances.
This makes me sick. I sure hope justice prevails and this piece of garbage is taken out.
While I am very much in favor of the death penalty and believe its only fault is that it is not used enough, I would agree with many, Staff Sgt. Robert Bales does not deserve the death penalty.Â
People go nuts and murder masses in our OWN country. We end up feeding and housing them for life because we can't GET them the death penalty because of our bleeding heart justice system. A messed up VET, after four tours, snaps while at WAR, and they want to execute? Our country is more messed up than I previously thought.
The death penalty is on the wrong side of history, just like religion.
All I Can Say Is Hopefully These Men Get Help For PTSD. Being In A War Zone For Long Lengths Of Time, And Serveral Occassions Will And Does Make People Do Things Totally Out Of Their Character. They Need To Limit The Amount Of Deployments One Can Go On To Try And Prevent This From Occuring Again Here Or Abroad.
Not one civilian in Trashcanistan is worth crying over. Let the guy go and move on.
 @Randall Flagg It is EXACTLY that kind of rationale that caused 12 people to fly airplanes into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon on 9/11. Congrats; you have now descended to the terrorists level.
What is the differences between this story and Maj. Nidal Hasan in Fort Hood?Why is the Government protecting one and  not the other? It's all sad.Â
The Fort Hood murders aren't being prosecuted because that would give the impression that this administration gives a rat's patootie about the military and vets. Afghan civilians rank higher on their list of people.
This guy needs to be in a padded cell for the rest of his life if anything.
Truly unfortunate is an understatement. Surrounded by death in wholesale quantity, when does a mind just turn off and do the unthinkable. When?
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I see no good solution here. All are victims. He served and is insane. He was taught to kill, is a young man and took it to a level of insanity.Â
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Nobody truly wins in war. Classic example. This whole thing stinks. Army wants to kill him to save face. Prison would be more in line. I doubt he has any regrets, which means he is nuts. He thought he was doing the right thing.... In his mind, he was most likely not even there. Just doing his job.
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Army wants a show death.
this thing is so tragic. one of our own doing what he was trained for to the wrong people. the army should never have left him there so long, maybe he should not have been there at all. maybe he would do the same to us? i don't know. a loose cannon. i'm glad i'm not having to decide this one. i wonder why
This is just a part of SSG Bale's trial process. The Department of the Army has announced the standard of the law that they are attempting to apply to the case. In point of fact, they've made it all the more difficult to procure a conviction.
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If SSG Bale is convicted, he ought to be executed by the military, not through the Justice Department. He committed his crimes as a soldier and should be executed by a soldier. And I say that as a veteran.
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As an aside, the last military execution was Pvt John A. Bennett [Rape and Murder] in 1961, although another soldier, Pvt Ronald Gray [Rape and Murder], was scheduled for execution in 2008. He received a stay of execution, though not a re-sentancing, and has not been re-scheduled as of 2012.
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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_by_the_United_States_military
Get it done! Nuff said!
This waste of skin needs to fry. We shouldn't be over there anyway besides morons like this killing children. Sickening.
Robert Bales is sure is a lucky guy to have his wife stand by him through all of this. She shows no shame on being married to him, and continues to support him, no matter what. It's to bad that her support and love will not be in consideration when it comes to the death plenty or not. I am not into the death plenty and when I think of someone coming here and doing what he did, I would want him dead. I also think about how our military is doing a job that I will not do. I show them respect, honor, and I am grateful everyday that we have them. So do to that, I now don't know if we help him or not.Â
We shall see howthis plays out. The have not even convicted Nidal Hasan and that is a slam dunk..
qustions I would like to see answered.
1) why was he  allowed to walk on and off a combat post willy nilly?
2) why from the commander of the guard, the 1st sgt and the C.O.. up any any charges?
3) why was he deployed so many times back to back?
4) what kind of mental screening was done before this deployment?
@BocaBob Boca, I don't see Hasan actually getting executed for his crime, much as he deserves it. In his case there is a religious component that the government does not want to condone and God forbid that he achieves the status of 'martyr of the faith' that he so desperately wanted.
 @BocaBob I have a friend their at the compound in Afghanistan where the soldier was stationed. Outer security of the compound is primarily done by Afghanistan military. You can walk on and off the base whenever you want. The civilians are told not to leave the base without a military escort. They get mortared a lot. Just an example of why we don't belong there. There's nothing for the military to do except waste money and be a target.
 @BocaBob Oh please the hypocrisy is simply unbelievable around here.
If they had captured the Connecticut mass murderer alive everyone would want to lynch him or burn him alive. Oh but this guy needs a mental screening because he "only" killed Afghanis
Give me a break
@Larry*X*K You're a piece of work. Those 2 events have only 1 thing in common (death). The Connecticut mass murderer killed innocent children and some adults for literally no reason. Sgt Robert Bales at least had the (lame) excuse that Afghanis were killing innocent Americans. As with many of our latest "wars", the enemy hides amongst the civilians and it makes it hard to distinuish friend from foe. Its who he chose to kill (some women and children) that makes the difference to me.
@scared_citizen This guy is a child killer and deserves the firing squad. The sooner the better.
a bit of Irony that the government who has killed 1000's of Afghan people singles out one guy who's job it was is to kill people and break things.. for killing people.Â
I guess the government really likes that monopoly on death, just like they like the monopoly on crime.Â
 @everyoneelse The government killed them or the military? Are you for real?
Killing civilians is still against the law you know
 @everyoneelse That's a nice over-generalization of the combat mission in Afghanistan. Nice that you don't distinguish between people the government believes it's supposed to be killing and those it isn't. Nice that you also don't mention anything about this "one guy" who allegedly went out of his way to kill non-combatant civilians when he was not being attacked.
 @KieferSkunk  @everyoneelse LOL Civilians are all we've killed in Afghanistan. We have not been fighting the Afghanistan Military at all. In Iraq we fought some of the military, the majority ran, and then all we fought were civilians. All these wars have been nothing but lies to keep the defense industry booming. Just capitalism working its magic.
 @Blindman  @KieferSkunk  @everyoneelse " LOL Civilians are all we've killed in Afghanistan."
What a complete pile of crap.
 @everyoneelse All the way up to the commander in chief, nothing but hypocrites. 1000 bases worldwide and then people wonder why we're at war all the time.lol
@Blindman @everyoneelse To answer your question why are we at war all the time very simple. There is money to be made in it. Else why do it? Boeing makes more money off weapons develpment then commercial planes. Lockhead Martin makes tons of cash in the military airospace. that is just not all GM makes bank building the Humvee, Raytheon makes the Nuke triggers. Colt and barreta are one of the primary small arms dealers for the DOD. federal ammo and remingtion arms as well. It is the industry that really keeps America going. Shoot since the civil war we have been roughly at war every twenty years. twent years of peace then a war. tome times closer some times farther apart. but it avrages out to be twent years apart. That said it also lets us keep the NCO's and Officers from the last one to still be around for the next one and keep training the new ones and buliding up the knowlege of war with each new generation. To be totally honest America is a Nation that thrives on war. we love to fight and win. always have always will.
hopefully this incident will lead to a much needed discussion on control in the military.
I meant "gun control"
Ouch!!! The price you might have to pay for going postal.
I'm against the death penalty, but it's the way things are done for now. If Robert Bales receives this sentence, then so should those in command who allowed him to continue serving. He was a wreck and there was plenty of evidence to prove it.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bales#Military_service
 @Eshale So should the family of the Connecticut school murderer be sent to trial and sentenced to death too? Or you just think the lives of 16 Afghanis worth less then the lives of 27 Americans?
@Larry*X*K @Eshale Ummm. You do know he killed his mother first. Right?
 @Klondiko  @Eshale Yes I do, hence I did not mention his mother, I said his family
@Eshale Me too but not because some don't deserve it but I think a jail cell is more punishment than putting someone to sleep. Plus, our justice system still make mistakes such as the case with Cameron Todd Willingham. As we learn about how poor eye witness testismony is as well as how people are pressured and confess to crimes they did not do, it's still too risky.Â
 @Eshale A wreck? More like a guy who couldn't handle his liquor, nor his finances!!!
 @Too funny!  @EshaleÂ
Yeah, going and murdering a bunch of unarmed women and children doesn't seem like a very good way to solve your problems anyway. Looks more like some sort of revenge or anger thing.
This massacre was just as tragic as the one in Connecticut. Proof, this can happen any time, any where, any country. Gun control could not, would not and did not stop either of these horrific events. My heart and prayers are with all of these unfortunate victims.
 @jjccamis I find it strange that people are now talking about gun control in the military. The whole point of the military is to be armed, so if you're talking about taking guns away from soldiers, you might as well just say we should dismantle the military as a whole. A valid statement, but I don't think it's what you mean.
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There's a big difference between the Connecticut massacre (where the guy responsible should probably never have been allowed to be armed) and the Afghanistan massacre (where you had a member of an armed militia engage in a war crime). The fact is, Bales was a soldier in the US Army, which means he was authorized to be armed. I think the better question to ask in his case is whether or not he was fit for duty - if there was sufficient evidence of him being mentally unstable such that he should have been removed from duty before this happened.
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But all things being equal, without an order to have him removed from service, Bales was authorized to have a gun, so "gun control" isn't really an issue in his case.
@KieferSkunk @jjccamis  My point is, mental instability, whether in the military or the private sector is not not always evident. Bales was unstable and in the army and authorized to carry a weapon. The person in the Connecticut massacre was unstable and stole weapons from a parent. In either case, it was not the gun that created the problem.
 @jjccamis  @KieferSkunk I see your point. Thanks for clarifying.
we wonder why we are such a violent society. Eye for an eye, kill or be killed. Barbaric. This man is sick, this helps no one.
 @calapete So a slap on the hand is a suitable sentence? Yeah that sure has been known to work around here. Explain how years ago when capitol punishment was the thing, now in recent years we rarely have anyone put down, and when we do, we seem to do it more humanely, yet the violence is up? How do you explain that?
 @Zoso  @calapeteÂ
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Because calapete is looking further than a knee jerk reaction. Until we address root causes, we'll continue to hear that the answer is more armament.
 @Gaikokujin  @Eshale  @Zoso Do you know what it is? He had access to steroids, alcohol, drugs. Combine that with lack of sleep, battle fatigue, stress. A human has a breaking point.
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It is tragic what happened, I feel for the 16 families that lost loved one. Killing Bale doesn't bring them back or deter the next Bale.
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 @Eshale  @Zoso  @calapete Well the root cause is one thing and one thing only, but I'm fairly sure you don't know what it is.
 @calapete If some person were to kill 16 innocent people in Seattle, wouldn't you want the death penalty for the individual responsible for it?
@3rase @calapete Exactly. These were 16 innocent victims. What harm did they do to Bales? What did they do to deserve this? I think there is a very reasonable case for the death penalty.