Bales to Avoid Death Penalty

The U.S. soldier accused of brutally gunning down 16 civilians in Afghanistan in March 2012 has avoided the death penalty through a plea deal, his lawyer said Thursday. In an email, his attorney Emma Scanlan said that the sentencing phase in his case will occur in August. Prosecutors portrayed Bales as a murderer who “acted alone and with chilling premeditation,” while the defense claimed that he suffered from PTSD. Bales used a pistol, rifle, and grenade to slay 16 innocent Afghan civilians—including women and children—while on duty. After the incident, he allegedly remarked to another soldier: “I just shot some people up.”