Afghan killings suspect remembers little: Lawyer

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Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales remembers little about the night he is accused of slaughtering 16 Afghan civilians in a nighttime shooting rampage, his lawyer says.

Bales has a sketchy memory of events from before and after the killings but recalls very little or nothing of the time the military believes he went on a shooting spree through two Afghan villages, attorney John Henry Browne said on Monday after meeting his client for the first time.

Browne and other members of Bales' defense team have said they plan additional meetings this week with the soldier, who is being held at Fort Leavenworth.

Meanwhile, more details have come to light about Bales' troubles on the home front.

Records show he owes $1.5 million from an arbitration ruling nearly a decade ago that foundhim guilty of securities fraud.

The ruling stemmed from a complaint by an Ohio man that Bales defrauded him and his wife while working as their stockbroker in 2003.

Bales, 38, has not been charged yet in the March 11 shooting spree, though charges could come this week. The killings sparked protests in Afghanistan, endangered relations between the two countries and threatened to upend American policy over the decade-old war.

Browne met with his client behind bars for the first time on Monday to begin building a defense. He said Bales has "some memory of some things that happened" the night of the shootings.

Pressed on whether Bales can remember anything about the shooting, Browne said, "No," but added: "I haven't gotten that far with him yet."

In an earlier interview with CBS, Browne said unequivocally that Bales can't remember the shootings.

Bales arrived at Fort Leavenworth last Friday and is being held in an isolated cell. He is "already being integrated into the normal pre-trial confinement routine", prison spokeswoman Rebecca Steed said.

The routine includes recreation, meals and cleaning the area where he is living. Steed said once his meetings with his attorneys are complete later in the week, Bales will resume the normal integration process.

Browne said he and Bales met for more than three hours at the military prison.

Browne said the soldier gave a powerfully moving account of what it is like to be on the ground in Afghanistan.

"You read about it. I read about it. But it's totally different when you hear about it from somebody who's been there," Browne said. "It's just really emotional."

Browne, a Seattle attorney who defended serial killer Ted Bundy and a thief known as the"Barefoot Bandit," has said he has handled three or four military cases.

About the broadcaster:

Emily Cheng is an editor at China Daily. She was born in Sydney, Australia and graduated from the University of Sydney with a degree in Media, English Literature and Politics. She has worked in the media industry since starting university and this is the third time she has settled abroad - she interned with a magazine in Hong Kong 2007 and studied at the University of Leeds in 2009.