SEATTLE (AP) — An attorney for the wife of an Army staff sergeant charged with killing 17 Afghan civilians says the couple has been able to talk twice since he was detained.
Attorney Lance Rosen says Staff Sgt. Robert Bales called his wife, Karilyn Bales, first from overseas shortly after the March 11 massacre, then from the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., on Wednesday.
Rosen says Bales and his wife were warned the call was monitored, and they would only have 10 minutes to talk. He says that on Wednesday’s call the couple talked about family matters and “re-affirmed their love for each other.”
Rosen also says the family has set up a defense fund to help pay Bales’ legal fees.
The military charged Bales on Friday with 17 counts of murder.
