Army says Bales should face death penalty for crimes; defense says too many questions unanswered
An Army prosecutor today argued that Staff Sgt. Robert Bales committed "the worst, most despicable crimes a human being can commit" in contending that Joint Base Lewis-McChord Stryker soldier should face the death penalty for "murdering children in their own homes." But Bales' sister-in-law disagreed after the hearing. "We are not convinced the government has shown us the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about what happened that night," Stephanie Tandberg said.
ADAM ASHTON; Staff writer
ADAM ASHTON The News Tribune
Published: Nov. 13, 2012 at 10:34 a.m. PST
— Updated: Nov. 13, 2012 at 2:47 p.m. PST
Kari Bales, center, stands next to attorney Lance Rosen, left, as they listen as her sister, Stephanie Tandberg, right, read a statement to reporters Tuesday Nov. 13, 2012, outside the building housing a military courtroom on Joint Base Lewis McChord in Washington state, where a preliminary hearing ended Tuesday for Kari's husband, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales. Bales is accused of 16 counts of premeditated murder and six counts of attempted murder for a pre-dawn attack on two villages in Kandahar Province in Afghanistan last March. (TED S. WARREN/AP)
An Army prosecutor today argued that Staff Sgt. Robert Bales committed “the worst, most despicable crimes a human being can commit” in contending that Joint Base Lewis-McChord Stryker soldier should face the death penalty for “murdering children in their own homes.”
Maj. Rob Stelle’s argument concluded an eight-day evidence hearing for Bales, 39, who allegedly murdered 16 Afghan civilians and wounded six more in the early hours of March 11. The massacre represents the worst war crimes from the conflict in Afghanistan.
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Seated at a table with his hands folded in front of him, twiddling his thumbs, an American soldier dryly spoke about how he slipped away from his base in Afghanistan last year in the middle of the night and killed 16 civilians, later setting some bodies on fire with a kerosene lantern.
Seated at a table with his hands folded in front of him, twiddling his thumbs, an American soldier dryly spoke about how he slipped away from his base in Afghanistan last year in the middle of the night and killed 16 civilians, later setting some bodies on fire with a kerosene lantern.
The cases of Staff Sgt. Robert Bales and another soldier court-martialed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord this year add to the U.S. military's track record of reluctance to use the death penalty on defendants whose crimes were committed in a combat zone.
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales this morning pleaded guilty to murdering 16 Afghan villagers and wounding six more during a nighttime rampage outside of his combat outpost in Kandahar Province last year.
Six Afghan civilians who plan to testify at the court-martial for Kandahar massacre suspect Staff Sgt. Robert Bales traveled to Joint Base Lewis-McChord last week to prepare for the trial.
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We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.