Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, the U.S. soldier charged in the shooting deaths of 17 Afghan civilians, will not participate in a "sanity board" examination by Army doctors to determine his mental state, The Associated Press reported Friday. Bales' lawyer, John Henry Browne, said he instructed Bales to refrain from participating in the sanity board process because the Army will not allow Bales to have an attorney during the review. The Army also rejected a request to record the examination. According to Dan Conway, a civilian military defense lawyer, If Bales refuses to participate in the sanity board, a judge could bar him from relying on a mental-health defense. The sanity board was expected to look into Bales' deployment history as well as any prescription medication he may have been taking.
