Accused Afghan killer Staff Sgt. Robert Bales faces arraignment
Jan 17, 2013, 5:18 AM | Updated: 11:33 am
The prosecution is seeking to prevent Browne from using a mental illness defense because Sergeant Bales refused to participate in what's called a "sanity board" to determine his mental state. (AP Photo/File)
(AP Photo/File)
No plea was entered at the arraignment of a Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier charged with the murder of 16 Afghan civilians.
Staff Sergeant Robert Bales was expected to plead not guilty to all charges at his arraignment at JBLM, but instead he entered no plea at all. The 39-year-old father of two faces 16 counts of premeditated murder, six counts of attempted murder, seven counts of assault as well as some other minor charges.
Bales’ civilian attorney, John Henry Browne and the prosecution instead argued over the potential start date of the trial.
Browne said that because of a heavy case load he has only had an opportunity to read 10,000 of the 30,000 pages of discovery in the case.
The prosecution recommended a trial start of June 10, because they are worried about the safety of their witnesses.
Two witnesses, according to prosecution, have died since killings in unrelated incidents. The prosecution fears that more potential witnesses could die in unrelated attacks in the still-volatile Afghanistan.
The judge, Colonel Jeffery Nance believed there was too much to do before June 10, and an official trial date is yet to be set.
It is still unclear whether Bales will enter a mental illness defense, or whether he will plead not guilty to the crimes. The prosecution is seeking to prevent Browne from using a mental illness defense because Sergeant Bales refused to participate in what’s called a “sanity board” to determine his mental state. Browne wouldn’t let his client participate because an attorney would not have been present and the hearing wouldn’t have been recorded.
“Sergeant Bales had PTSD,” Browne told KIRO Radio before the arraignment. “They knew he had a concussive head injury. They sent him to the worst part of Afghanistan on his fourth tour, and the Special Forces pumped him full of steroids. I think the government should take some responsibility for this rather than just try to kill him.”
Browne said it’s clear to him that Sergeant Bales was suffering from some form of mental illness. At the hearing, Bales’ defense team decided it would be OK to go ahead with a Sanity Board after they decide on a mental health defense.
The Army intends to put Bales to death if he is convicted. The military has not put anyone to death since 1961.
MyNorthwest.com’s Alyssa Kleven contributed to this report.
