Sgt. Robert Bales, charged with killing 16 Afghan civilians, has no explanation for why he opened fire on two family compounds in March 2012, he told a military courtroom in Washington. "I've asked that question a million times since then, and there's not a good reason in the world for why I did the horrible things I did," he said. Bales, who has pleaded guilty to all charges but one in a deal to avoid the death penalty, told the judge details of each killing, which included women and children. A military jury in August will decide if his life sentence includes possibility of parole.
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