Posted on 03/18/2012 3:37:43 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, the Army soldier who is set to be charged in the mass murder of 16 Afghan civilian men, women and children, spent the weekend in pretrial isolation as military prosecutors prepared a case that may carry the death penalty.
Staff Sgt. Bales, 38 years old, was brought to the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., late Friday to await the charges, which military officials said could come sometime this week. Meanwhile, a Seattle-based criminal attorney retained to defend Staff Sgt. Bales traveled to Kansas Sunday and planned to meet Monday with the soldier.
Staff Sgt. Bales has been in military custody since he surrendered following what U.S. officials described as a rampage through villages in Kandahar province in which he allegedly shot, stabbed and set ablaze men, women and children. Prosecutors have said nothing publicly about the case against him, although it has leaked out that Staff Sgt. Bales had been drinking. President Barack Obama said he has instructed the military to prosecute the case aggressively and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the suspect could face the death penalty.
The killings have stoked Afghan anger toward the U.S., especially coming after other incidents in which U.S. personnel burned the Quran and urinated on the corpses of Taliban fighters.
Staff Sgt. Bales's lawyers haven't denied the charges against the married father of two, but have said they would comb through his military history to determine what factors involved. That suggests a possible defense based on mental-health problems that were out of his control. They point out that he served three tours in Iraq and a tour in Afghanistan, and suffered traumatic brain injury as well as a severe foot injury.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Instructions to murder us by any means available.
To enslave our women and children.
“...may carry the death penalty...”
That’ll never stand.
First Line: Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, the Army soldier who is set to be charged in the mass murder
While I have no doubt there will be charges, the title is a bit misleading. I am not a JAG officer, but I believe there is a little technicality known as an Article 32 hearing. Here is why it matters:
No charge or specification may be referred to a general court-martial for trial until a through and impartial investigation of all the matters set forth therein has been made. This investigation shall include inquiry as to the truth of the matter set forth in the charges, consideration of the form of charges, and recommendation as to the disposition which should be made of the case in the interest of justice and discipline.IOW, no charges until an Article 32 has been conducted. The Article 32 will no doubt take weeks.
Where are troops getting alcohol in Afcrapistan? I thought General Order one banned alcohol? They ain't gettin’ it at the PX.
The last one was what? '61?
It's been over 50 years since the military (judicially, via the UCMJ) has killed one of it's own.
I'm not going to be re-memorizing "Danny Deever" anytime soon.
/johnny
Will there be any recourse if this case if tied up with a bow before Hasan gets his court martial. Such a miscarriage of justice if Bales has a decision before Hasan.
I'd love to send this SOB out on a combat deployment. We'll see how long his high-mindedness lasts when he must face reality.
Axelrod will bury this until after the election because they don’t want issues like Fort Hood and troop morale to be in the news.
The death penalty?
That's fair enough ,but I don't remember death penalty talk from the Obama administration when Major Hassan murdered about 15 fellow US soldiers at Ft. Hood. -tom
Even if he does not get the death penalty how long will he live after being sentenced with all the muslim shitheads in prison?
He was only imitating their culture.
Wow, Fisk is clearly completely out of touch with reality.
I stopped there.
Are the scientists playing around with undisclosed LSD administrations again, or are they testing something new?
USA pays for moslem brotherhood to take over Egypt, Syria and Lybia. Russia still has real nukes and is threatened by Moslem populations. Add the numbers and find a country retreat before its too late.
How about the asshole who fragged the officers tent just before the Iraq war.I’m still waiting to hear the outcome to that.
Good call. I was thinking about that case and like most people haven't heard much info on it.
Swift Jusice has become meaningless in this country in both civil and military courts. - Tom
I looked this Fisk guy up on Wikipedia. The entries regarding Afghanistan and Iraq are very illuminating. Extremely anti-U.S. and anti-military.
This John Henry Browne is a high priced high flying lawyer. How is he getting paid? Does the military allow a defendant to choose a civilian attorney and then pick up the tab? I don’t imagine an E-6 could come up with the fees this guy charges. Any one have any idea how this works in the military?
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