US

Lawyer: Suspect in Afghan Killings Remembers ‘Very Little’

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — The lawyer for the Army staff sergeant accused of slaughtering 16 Afghan civilians in a nighttime shooting rampage met his client for the first time Monday and said the solider has a sketchy memory of the massacre.

Lawyer John Henry Browne said Robert Bales remembers some details from before and after the killings, but very little during the time the military believes on a killing spree through two Afghan villages.

“He has some memory of some things that happened that night. He has some memories of before the incident and he has some memories of after the incident. In between, very little,” Browne told The Associated Press by telephone from Fort Leavenworth, where Bales is being held.

Pressed on whether Bales can remember anything at all about the shooting, Browne said, “I haven’t gotten that far with him yet.”

Bales, 38, has not been charged yet in the March 11 shootings, though charges could come this week. The killings sparked protests in Afghanistan, endangered relations between the two countries and threatened to upend American policy over the decade-old war.

Earlier Monday, Browne met with his client behind bars for the first time to begin building a defense and said the soldier gave a powerfully moving account of what it is like to be on the ground in Afghanistan.

Browne said he and Bales, who is being held in an isolated cell at the military prison, met for more than three hours in the morning at Fort Leavenworth. Browne, co-counsel Emma Scanlan and Bales were expected to talk again in the afternoon.

“What’s going on on the ground in Afghanistan, you read about it. I read about it. But it‘s totally different when you hear about it from somebody who’s been there,” Browne told The Associated Press by telephone during a lunch break. “It’s just really emotional.”

Browne, a Seattle attorney who defended serial killer Ted Bundy and a thief known as the “Barefoot Bandit,” has said he has handled three or four military cases. The defense team includes a military defense lawyer, Maj. Thomas Hurley.

At their meeting, Browne said Bales clarified a story, provided initially by the soldier’s family, about the timing of a roadside bomb that blew off the leg of one of Bales’ friends. It was two days before the shooting, not one, and Bales didn’t see the explosion, just the aftermath, Browne said.

The details of the blast could not be immediately confirmed.

Military officials have said that Bales, after drinking on a southern Afghanistan base, crept away to two villages overnight, shooting his victims and setting many of them on fire. Nine of the dead were children and 11 belonged to one family.

Bales arrived at Fort Leavenworth last Friday and is being held in the same prison as other prominent defendants. Pfc. Bradley Manning, who is charged with leaking classified documents to the WikiLeaks website, has been held there on occasion as he awaited trial.

Bales is “already being integrated into the normal pretrial confinement routine,” post spokeswoman Rebecca Steed said.

That includes recreation, meals and cleaning the area where he is living. Steed said once his meetings with his attorneys are complete later in the week, Bales will resume the normal integration process.

Bales’ wife, Karilyn, offered her condolences to the victims’ families Monday and said she wants to know what happened. She said her family and her in-laws are profoundly sad. She said what they’ve read and seen in news reports is “completely out of character of the man I know and admire.”

“My family including my and Bob’s extended families are all profoundly sad. We extend our condolences to all the people of the Panjawai District, our hearts go out too all of them, especially to the parents, brothers, sisters and grandparents of the children who perished,” Karilyn Bales said in a statement.

Court records and interviews show that Bales had commendations for good conduct after four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He enlisted in the military after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

He also faced a number of troubles in recent years: A Florida investment job went sour, his Seattle-area home was condemned as he struggled to make payments on another, and he failed to get a recent promotion.

Legal troubles included charges that he assaulted a girlfriend and, in a hit-and-run accident, ran bleeding in military clothes into the woods, according to court records. He told police he fell asleep at the wheel and paid a fine to get the charges dismissed.

In March 1998, Bales was given a $65 citation for possessing alcohol at Daytona Beach, Fla. He did not pay the fine nor did he defend himself in court. A warrant was issued for his arrest, but it later expired.

If the case goes to court, the trial will be held in the U.S., said a legal expert with the U.S. military familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the case.

That expert said charges were still being decided and that the location for any trial had not yet been determined. If the suspect is brought to trial, it is possible that Afghan witnesses and victims would be flown to the U.S. to participate, he said.

After their investigation, military attorneys could draft charges and present them to a commander, who then makes a judgment on whether there is probable cause to believe that an offense was committed and that the accused committed it.

That commander then submits the charges to a convening authority, who typically is the commander of the brigade to which the accused is assigned but could be of higher rank.

___

Associated Press writers Manuel Valdes in Seattle and Deb Riechmann in Kabul, Afghanistan contributed to this report. Johnson reported from Seattle.

Comments (28)

  • tiredofprogressives
    Posted on March 21, 2012 at 5:00am

    This guy should be given a medal of honor.

    Report Post » tiredofprogressives  
  • ronin_6
    Posted on March 20, 2012 at 2:56pm

    Ah the old “I can’t recall” defense. Well it worked for Reagan it might work for him. I am a 23 year veteran. an 11B with multiple tours in hositle area. There is no excuse for the dishonor he has brought to my uniform. I hope he burns in hell.

    Report Post » ronin_6  
  • Shasta
    Posted on March 20, 2012 at 2:43pm

    Spanky, I can’t find an archive link for Blaze stories, but I am pretty sure you copied and pasted your answer to this, from the last store on these killings.

    Report Post » Shasta  
  • thibx
    Posted on March 20, 2012 at 1:29pm

    he was in a war zone, the muslims were murdering our troops over burning books. i guess if i was under that stress i might loose it to. this guy has snapped no comparsion to fort hood. i hope he gets no more than a year. may GOD help him and his family.

    Report Post »  
  • Chromo200
    Posted on March 20, 2012 at 11:49am

    One good thing DOD did is that they brought him home before Obama handed him over to the Afghanistanis.

    Bring the troops home .. all the troops .. let the tribes figure out how to live together. The enemy knows that our military can kick butt, we just do a crappy job politically. The soldiers will always be heroes to me.

    Report Post »  
  • EqualJustice
    Posted on March 20, 2012 at 10:37am

    I can’t WAIT to see HIS administration report on why he did this. The EXCUSE they gave the Ft. Hood MUSLIM killer was “WORKPLACE STRESS.” Let’s also see which ONE goes to trial first?

    Report Post » EqualJustice  
  • BIGDANE
    Posted on March 20, 2012 at 9:52am

    I have to wonder what meds he was on that do not go well with alcohol. The time of day 3 am that it happened could be a clue to REM sleep Behavioral Disorder. So many of our troops are given stimulants to stay a awake. Many antidepressants have amnesia listed as a frequent side effect. Sleepwalking is also listed.

    Report Post »  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on March 20, 2012 at 7:51am

    .
    Not GUILTY…..Now pin a Medal on him and send him home………………

    Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
    • Ser Scot
      Posted on March 20, 2012 at 8:26am

      He killed 16 people in cold blood. What’s wrong with you?

      Report Post »  
    • SpankDaMonkey
      Posted on March 20, 2012 at 9:02am

      .
      What’s wrong with me? Nothing. What’s wrong with you?

      War is Hell & innocent people die, and if we would stop Playing at War. Things like this would never happen………

      I guessing by your comment you forgot the 3000 they killed on 9/11………

      Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
    • American Soldier (Separated)
      Posted on March 20, 2012 at 10:25am

      First of all, none of the nine children kills in this massacre had anything to do with 9/11. Second of all, no one in Afghanistan had anything to do with 9/11. Third of all, war is hell but this had nothing to do with actual war. A man took it upon himself and killed 16 unarmed people in cold blood.

      Regardless of race or creed, a crime was committed. The 16 people weren’t just collateral damage that happened in a heated fire fight through stray bullets. They were executed.

      If you have become so callous towards them to the point where you believe a man should be awarded for cold blooded murder, you have become no better than the terrorist you claim to hate.

      Yea, some middle easterners killed 3000+ people on 9/11. How many middle easterners, both guilty and innocent, have we killed since then? I believe we’re broken the 1 MILLION dead bodies mark (Both Iraq and Afghanistan casualties)

      Report Post » American Soldier (Separated)  
    • SpankDaMonkey
      Posted on March 20, 2012 at 11:46am

      .
      How many middle easterners, both guilty and innocent, have we killed since then?

      Not as many as they have.

      And I hate War, but if we are going to put men in harms way Let Them Win. You fight a war to kill your enemy until he can’t fight anymore. Somehow some of us have lost sight of the fact, that you actually have to kill people in order to win. And when your enemy bends over like Obama waving a white flag in one hand, and holding a tube of KY in the other. You‘re Done it’s time to come home……..

      Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
    • Ser Scot
      Posted on March 20, 2012 at 12:45pm

      You “Let them win” by randomly shooting people who are unarmed, in their homes, doing nothing but living their lives. Damn, I’m feeding the troll, aren’t I?

      Report Post »  
    • SpankDaMonkey
      Posted on March 20, 2012 at 2:47pm

      .
      SER SCOT,

      This happened because we forgot how to Win. Killing is a nasty business, you can’t put lipstick on it. And the we can’t look bad on TV mentality. Has made the U.S. Serviceman a TARGET, and the us taxpayer waste billions on smart bombs. I don’t need a million dollars to fly thru the window to kill just one guy, I‘ll take a stupid bomb that cost’s ten thousand and will kill the same guy from a mile away. It’s a shame these people got killed, but it is not this soliders fault. If we had defeated our enemy to start with, this would not have happened. This man has kept me safe so he’s paid up as far as I concerned…….

      Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
    • Ser Scot
      Posted on March 20, 2012 at 5:57pm

      So, if a serviceman kills randomly and without cause, you’re cool with it, because he’s a serviceman?

      Report Post »  
  • Baddoggy
    Posted on March 20, 2012 at 7:17am

    I do have pity on what this young man went through. He was part of a social experiment, Nation building experiment and a Neocon tool to go against a made up enemy that does not even have a uniform! He was used up in body, mind and spirit by our Government.

    Having said that, sadly he must pay for his crime. He was indeed brainwashed that he was killing “terrorists” and doing good. The boogeyman made up enemy we are supposedly fighting now is nothing more than an excuse to keep the war machine going FOREVER!

    For God’s sake bring our troops home and use them for the purpose they were intended for. To kill the enemy. We do not need to use them to find out if women or gays can fight, we dont need them to send in aid to a worthy cause or rebuild a Nation we just destroyed. They should be home, ready to kick the @hit out of anyone who would try to come against us. They should NOT be fighting a boogeyman, made up “terrorist” that can never be identified.

    Declare wars. Win them quickly (in a week or two) and stop rebuilding @hitholes and trying to “win the hearts and minds” of BARBARIANS! Let the Muslims have their civiil war!

    Report Post » Baddoggy  
    • THXll38
      Posted on March 20, 2012 at 8:16am

      Baddoggy -

      Couldn’t have said it better.

      Report Post » THXll38  
  • leftcoastslut
    Posted on March 20, 2012 at 7:05am

    if we are so advanced in our military capabilities, GET THE PAWNS OUT OF HARMS WAY!

    all this technology and we still put boots on the ground as in the times of WWI, 100 years ago.

    Report Post »  
    • leftcoastslut
      Posted on March 20, 2012 at 7:09am

      if we brought all troups home, what would the unemployment rate be then? not a good number for re-election

      Report Post »  
    • Baddoggy
      Posted on March 20, 2012 at 7:21am

      @Leftcoast..If we brought our troops home to spend thier money here instead of all over the world, our economy would probably get better. Yes there would be some unemployment if we had huge military cuts, but we would still need a healthy defense….

      We could also kick out a lot of illegals by guarding our borders. That would open up jobs. Of course you would have to make welfare and unemployment benefits extinct or the lazy would not get off thier a@@es.

      Report Post » Baddoggy  
    • leftcoastslut
      Posted on March 20, 2012 at 9:35am

      thank you, good points

      Report Post »  
  • pwatkins
    Posted on March 20, 2012 at 2:46am

    Something is not right here and hopefully the lawyer will get to the truth.

    Report Post »  
  • SacredHonor1776
    Posted on March 20, 2012 at 2:28am

    Manchuruan Candidate defense?!

    Crazy…

    Report Post »  
  • youdidthis
    Posted on March 20, 2012 at 2:24am

    i smell fraud and cover up…since we already know.

    Report Post »  
  • CatB
    Posted on March 20, 2012 at 3:04am

    I think you are correct .. multiple tours,.. head injury … lost part of a foot .. trained to be recruiter told would not be redeployed and then was … my heart goes out to him and his family … enough with trying to civilize these third world toilets … war should not be “social work”. Bring them home.

    Report Post »  
  • greatgrandma
    Posted on March 20, 2012 at 6:37am

    I agree. They all hate us anyway, so why are we there? Bring our young men and women home.

    Report Post »  

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