American Soldier Accused Of Afghan Shooting Rampage To Be Tried In The U.S., May Face Death Penalty
March 19 2012, Published 4:00 a.m. ET
By Debbie Emery - Breaking Celebrity News Reporter
The American soldier who is accused of murdering 16 Afghan civilians will be tried in the U.S., despite attempts in the victims' homeland to have him face a court in Afghanistan.
Sergeant Robert Bales was flown back to America last weekend and met with his lawyer for the first time on Monday at a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he remains in pre-trial isolation awaiting charges that may carry the death penalty.
During a briefing with Afghan journalists on Sunday, a U.S. official revealed that Bales "will be tried in the United States. We have not determined, we are doing some coordination to find out what the final venue will be, but the proceedings will take place somewhere in the United States,” reported ABCNews.com.
The 38-year-old has been in military custody since he surrendered following what U.S. officials described as a rampage on March 11 through villages in Kandahar province in which he allegedly shot, stabbed and set ablaze men, women and children.
"If he is brought to trial it is possible that Afghan witnesses and victims would be brought over,” revealed the U.S. forces Afghanistan legal expert, who was not named in a military transcript released Monday. “In a complex case like this, there will be a lot evidence to collect and it may take a significant amount of time to collect that evidence,” he added.
The Afghan government is conducting its own investigation, and is said to believe that more army members may be involved in the killings, which have f