Politics & Government

Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales Will Reportedly Plead Guilty To Afghan Massacre

The Associated Press is reporting that the Lake Tapps man will enter the plea June 5 to avoid the death penalty.

Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, the Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier accused of conducting a nighttime massacre of Afghanistan civilians in 2012, will reportedly plead guilty.

The Associated Press is reporting via The Washington Post that the Lake Tapps man is entering the plea to avoid the death penalty.

Bales' attorney told the AP that his client is scheduled to enter the guilty plea on June 5. His military trial is being held at JBLM.

A sentencing trial - which will determine whether he gets life with the possibility of parole - is scheduled for September, the AP reported, and a judge and the commanding general must approve any deal. 

Bales, who is assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, faces 16 counts of premeditated murder in connection with a gruesome nighttime massacre on March 11, 2012

Prosecutors allege that Bales left the base he was stationed at in Afghanistan and killed 16 people during the predawn attack, with most of the victims being women and children.

During the pre-trial portion of his Article 32 hearing last year, Army prosecutors tried to portray that Bales carried out the attack in cold, deliberate fashion. His defense argued that multiple deployments, alcohol and stress contributed to his role in the shootings.

Patch will have more on this story as information becomes available.


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