Army 'sanity board' to evaluate if Bales is mentally fit for trial

Army 'sanity board' to evaluate if Bales is mentally fit for trial
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will be examined within the next four to six weeks by an Army panel of doctors to determine whether he is mentally fit to stand trial on charges of murdering 17 Afghan villagers, according to an Army official briefed on the case.

By Hal Bernton and Mike Carter
Seattle Times staff reporters
April 9, 2012

Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will be examined in spring by an Army panel of doctors to determine whether he is mentally fit to stand trial on charges of murdering 17 Afghan villagers, according to an Army official briefed on the case.

A "sanity board" of Army doctors from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center will meet with Bales and review his files to understand more about his personal life and military experience.

The board will likely examine any prescription medications he may have taken before the March 11 killings in two villages in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan.

The doctors will determine whether Bales had a severe mental disease or defect at the time of the killings. They also will decide if he is able to appreciate the wrongfulness of his alleged conduct and whether he is able to understand the court-martial proceedings and to cooperate in his defense.
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