Lawyers for the American soldier convicted of slaughtering 16 Afghan civilians during nighttime raids last year want the entire prosecution team removed from the case before his sentencing, which is scheduled for this month.
John Henry Browne, a civilian attorney for Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, tells The Associated Press the prosecutors were inappropriately given a copy of compelled statements Bales made to Army psychiatrists. Bales pleaded guilty in June in a deal to avoid the death penalty. He faces life in prison either with or without the possibility of parole.
Browne says the judge inadvertently gave the prosecution team an unredacted copy of the psychiatric evaluation. He says the only solution is for the judge to remove the prosecutors from the case.
A hearing has been set for next Tuesday.
