John Henry Browne, the lawyer for the American soldier suspected in the shooting death of 16 Afghan citizens, has a history of customers in multiple cases of homicide, including serial killer Ted Bundy and mass murderer Benjamin Ng defend.
During his 40 years as an attorney, Browne, 65, the main trial lawyer in the King County Office of the public defender in Seattle before they are in private practice, represented arsonists, a thief shoeless airplane and a man accused of killing a dog celebrity trainer.
"He seems to thrive on controversial cases, and he gets good results for his clients," said Richard Hansen, whom Browne was hired to work as a public defender in Seattle in 1976.
Browne the newest client, a 38-year-old Army staff sergeant, is suspected of going on a rampage about three months in his first tour of duty in Afghanistan after three deployments to Iraq. The army said in a memo to Congress that the soldier reportedly hiked to two villages close to his base near Kandahar City on 11 March to that end the killings.
The suspect is US Army Staff Sergeant Robert Balen, according to a US Defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because costs not yet announced. A spokesman for the Pentagon, marine Captain John Kirby, had said the suspect is brought to the American is detained in a military prison bales Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, the army later said.
The stress of a fourth deployment, a troubled marriage and alcohol seem to have combined to provoke the murders, said an official of the U.S. briefed on the case.
During a press conference in his Office in Seattle on 15 March disputed Browne that account.
"This is a very strong marriage," said Browne. "There is a lot of love, much respect, two children."
There were no cases of domestic violence "therefore" and no indication alcohol had played a role in the alleged attack. Browne said.
Emma Browne and Scanlan, a contributor at his company, call back looking for comment yesterday.
If convicted of murder after a military trial, the accused may face a death sentence, said Eugene Fidell, former president of the National Institute of military justice.
The soldier will have a preliminary hearing, where a military judge will decide whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed with a military court, said Fidell, who teaches military justice classes at Yale University. There is no bail in military procedures, he said.
Browne graduated American University (NAUH) School of Law in 1971, according to his law firm of website. Prior to joining the public defender office in 1975, he worked as an Assistant Attorney General in the State of Washington.
Last year, Colton Harris-Moore represented Browne airplane thief, known as the "Barefoot Bandit" because he had some of his crimes committed during not wearing shoes. Moore pleaded guilty to theft of the airplane and other charges and a 6 1/2 year prison sentence.
Bundy mistreated or killed three dozen women across the u.s., according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He was one of the FBI'S 10 most wanted fugitives when he was caught in February 1978. In 1989 he was executed in Florida.
Browne was counsel for Benjamin Ng, who was convicted in the killing of 13 people in Seattle in 1983. Ng was spared a death sentence.
Also represented Browne Michiel Oakes, who was convicted of killing a dog trainer who for Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) Seattle Mariners Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz and outfielder Ichiro Suzuki worked, Mark Stover. Oakes got a 26 1/2-year sentence in 2010, the Seattle Times reported.
Prosecutors who worked on the cases Oakes and Harris-Moore refused to discuss their experiences with Browne or do not respond to the calls seeking comment.
Browne, although not regularly on military circuit, is highly competent as a defense lawyer and a reasonable choice as counsel, because he "that part of the country," Fidell said.
"In serious cases, people who can afford it will hire a civilian," he said. "There are not that many civilian lawyers who do these cases."
While the lawyers of the army's Judge Advocate General Corps provides assistance, send the case and the strategic decisions will Browne, Fidell said.
The soldier in Afghan attacks reportedly collected 11 of that he killed in a House and the bodies burned, Lal Mohammed, elder of Zangabad, the area where the incident occurred, said by telephone. After that, the soldier ran back to base and surrendered, according to Brigadier General Carsten Jacobson, spokesman for the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Afghanistan.
U.s. President Barack Obama called the Afghan President Hamid Karzai "wants his shock and sadness" and promised "fully responsible keep everyone responsible," according to a statement from the White House. Karzai said that the incident shows "great oppression and cruelty" to the people of Afghanistan, according to a statement from his Office.
Evidence gathering for the soldier's hearing could be difficult with regard to the location of the incident, Fidell said. The hostility of the villagers and Islamic law that bodies to be buried quickly and without an autopsy also form obstacles to prosecution, according to Fidell.
Researchers will collect as much evidence as possible ahead of the preliminary hearing, Fidell said. "That assuming they get help from the villagers instead of being shot at," he said.
The last soldier executed by the army was army private John Arthur Bennett, Fidell said. Bennett, convicted for rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old Austrian girl, was executed by hanging in 1961. A handful of army prisoners held on death row at the U.S. disciplinary barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Fidell said.
"Nobody can be performed without the corroborating personal approval of the President," Fidell said.
Defense lawyers representing unpopular clients to protect the legal process, said Hansen, the former public defender.
Hansen said "the difficult cases tend to warp the system in a bad way," in a telephone interview. "The public is well aware of the most heinous crimes so that the laws tend to get ramped up in connection with the most atypical cases."
To Contact the reporters on this story: Andrew Harris in Chicago on aharris16@bloomberg.net; Sophia Pearson in Philadelphia on spearson3@bloomberg.net; Peter Robison in Seattle on robison@bloomberg.net
To Contact the editors responsible for this story: Michael Hytha on mhytha@bloomberg.net; Gary Putka on gputka@bloomberg.net
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