Wife defends shooting accused

THE wife of a US soldier accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians, including nine children, says her husband showed no signs of stress before he deployed, saying she doesn’t feel like she’ll ever believe he was involved in the killings.

Karilyn Bales defended her husband, Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, in an interview aired on US TV last night.

She said she has spoken to her husband by telephone twice since his detention at a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, but didn’t ask him about the accusations he faces.

“We couldn’t discuss those details,” she said. “He was ... seemed a bit confused, as to where he was and why he was there.”

“He loves children, he’s like a big kid himself,” she said. “I have no idea what happened ... he loves children, and he would not do that.”