Sergeant Robert Bales, could face death over Afghan massacre

US soldier, Sergeant Robert Bales, could face death over Afghan massacre
By AFP
Nov 14th, 2012

Washington: Prosecutors called Tuesday for a US soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers to face a full court martial and possible death sentence, as a pre-trial hearing ended.

But the family of Sergeant Robert Bales insisted he was innocent until proven guilty, calling him “courageous and honorable,” while his lawyer raised questions about the role of alcohol, drugs and stress in the tragedy.

Wrapping up the case, prosecutors lashed the “brutality” of the alleged massacre in March, outlined during an eight-day hearing at a military base south of Seattle.

“Based on the sheer brutality and nature of the crimes, it is our recommendation to proceed to a general court martial,” said prosecutor Major Rob Stelle at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

He said there were two main reasons why the case should go to a court martial, namely that “something horrible happened” on the night of March 11, and that Bales was clearly aware of what he had done.
read more here