Attorney for Afghan Murder Suspect Says Proving Guilt Will Be Difficult
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US Army(FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan.) — After meeting with Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales for a second day, attorney John Henry Browne suggested on Tuesday that the government will have a difficult time finding his client guilty of murdering 16 Afghan civilians 10 days ago.
“As far as we know there are no eyewitnesses. As far as we know, the government hasn’t been back to the scene of the alleged incident. So there is no forensic evidence,” Browne told ABC News.
“There’s a lot of things missing that are usually not missing in a criminal case,” he added.
Bales is waiting to be charged for the killings of the civilians a short distance away from his former base in southern Afghanistan. He was brought to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., after U.S. military officials decided against having him tried in Afghanistan.
Browne was hired by Bales’ family. His wife, Karilyn Bales, said the murders were “completely out of character of the man I know and admire.”
The attorney also rejected reports that Bales came back to his base and confessed to the slayings.
“That’s not true either. And as a matter of fact the government’s paperwork that they filed doesn’t have that in it at all. I’m very suspicious of that report,” Browne said.
He said Bales has a limited memory of what happened that night.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio