JBLM soldier accused of Afghan killing spree signs on John Henry Browne

The Seattle lawyer representing a U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians has only appeared in military court a handful of times in a career spanning 40-plus years.

The 38-year-old soldier lives in the Seattle area and asked to be represented by John Henry Browne when he was taken into custody, the lawyer said. Browne said he has met with the staff sergeant’s family, and unless the soldier is returned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in the next few days, he or an associate will travel to meet the soldier wherever he is in custody.

Browne said that when he talked to the accused, the soldier wanted to confirm Browne’s involvement, as well as give love to his family, currently staying at JBLM for their own safety.

“It’s a tragedy all the way around,” Browne told CBS. He describes the soldier as a decorated with an exemplary record.

When Browne questioned the soldier’s family, they said he had no animosity towards Muslims or Middle Eastern people. “I think everybody that knows [the soldier] is in shock about the allegations and that he’s in custody.

Some reports have indicated that alcohol may have been a factor in the shootings. Browne said that as far as the soldier’s family knew, he did not have a drinking problem. He also said reports that there may have been marital problems were not correct.

“They’ve got a fabulous marriage,” Browne said.

He did say that soldiers in the suspect’s camp had been very upset that somebody in his unit had been “gravely injured.”

Browne told reporters Thursday that the day before the rampage, he saw his friend’s leg blown off.

Browne told The Associated Press that his client’s family provided him with details of the injury to another U.S. soldier. The details have not been independently verified.

“His leg was blown off, and my client was standing next to him,” he said Thursday.

It isn’t clear whether the incident might have helped prompt the horrific middle-of-the-night attack on civilians in two villages last Sunday. Browne said it affected all of the soldiers at the base.

The suspect was flown out of Afghanistan on Wednesday evening to what officials describe as a pretrial confinement facility in Kuwait. Officials have anonymously described him as a father of two who has been in the military for 11 years. He has served three tours in Iraq and began his first deployment to Afghanistan in December.

Browne said he thinks it’s an issue that the soldier was was sent back to Afghanistan after sustaining twice being injured during deployments to Iraq, once suffering a concussive head injury and once a serious leg injury.

Browne is no stranger to high-profile clients. He has tried over 250 criminal cases to verdict, representing clients ranging from serial killer Ted Bundy to Colton Harris-Moore, known as the “Barefoot Bandit.”

The 65-year-old said he has only handled three or four military cases. The soldier will also have at least one military lawyer.

Browne has been a prominent figure in Washington state legal circles since the 1970s. Tall and stylish, he’s known equally for his zeal in representing his clients and his flair before television cameras.

He has handled some of the most high-profile criminal cases in state. In addition to being a lawyer for Bundy, in 1983 he helped Benjamin Ng avoid the death penalty following his conviction in Washington’s worst mass killing, the massacre of 13 people at a Seattle restaurant.

In one of his greatest legal victories, Browne ensured that a man who fled to Brazil after setting a fire that killed four firefighters would not face murder charges upon his return because the extraditing country _ Brazil _ did not have a felony murder statute equivalent to Washington’s.

Browne recently represented Colton Harris-Moore, who gained international attention for stealing airplanes, boats and cars during a two-year run from the law. Browne and his co-counsel, Emma Scanlan, helped Harris-Moore reach state and federal plea deals, then persuaded a state judge to give him the low end of the sentencing range: seven years in prison.

Browne graduated from American University School of Law in 1971 and went on to be a Ford Foundation Fellow at Northwestern University School of Law. He began his legal career as an assistant attorney general in Olympia, Wash., the state capital.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.