Wife of Accused Afghan Shooter Calls Charges 'Unbelievable'

The wife of Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, who's accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians, is calling the charges against her husband "unbelievable."

  The wife of Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales — who’s accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians — is calling the charges against her husband “unbelievable.”   She spoke to the Today show’s Matt Lauer in an interview that aired Monday morning.   “This is not him. It’s not him. … He loves children. He is himself a big kid. … I was hoping, I was planning my next phases with my family and being able to share with him.”   KGTV: “Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales is accused of leaving his base two weeks ago and then sneaking into houses and into houses and opening fire on families as they slept. 17 people were killed.”   Wife Kari Bales told Lauer — she doesn’t think anything would change her mind in the belief SSG Bales could not have done what he’s accused of.    Bales — a 38-year-old father of two — is being held in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. His wife says he joined the Army after 9/11 — and wanted to “do his part.”   She also told NBC — SSG Bales never showed signs of PTSD — and that she had no reason to think he wasn’t fit to be deployed. The most recent deployment was his fourth tour of duty in a war zone. Meanwhile...   NY1: “He's charged with several counts of premeditated murder and other crimes. Afghan officials say the U.S. has paid 50-thousand dollars in compensation for each of the victims.”   Kari Bales says a legal defense fund has been set up for SSG Bales. According to a government statement — he could face at minimum life in prison with the possibility of parole if convicted. At the maximum — he could face the death penalty.