We still don’t know the name of the Washington-based Army soldier accused of murdering 16 Afghan civilians last weekend. But we now know the name of his civilian attorney. John Henry Browne is a high-profile Seattle lawyer who most recently defended the serial burglar known as the “Barefoot Bandit.”
Eugene Fidell teaches military justice at Yale. His advice to Browne: book a flight to Kuwait where the soldier is being held.
“Everyone who has represented a military accused has had the experience sooner or later of finding out that some major step has been taken by the client, such as giving an incriminating statement before any attorney is involved.”
Military defense lawyer Dan Conway agrees. He says the next step is to try to get the soldier moved out of Kuwait to a place where the defense can order a battery of medical and psychological tests.
“It’s extremely prejudicial to the defense to have your client detained in Kuwait. It tremendously hampers your ability to prepare a defense.”
Conway recently defended Private First Class Andrew Holmes of Boise. He’s one of four Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers recently sent to prison for killing Afghan civilians during a 2010 deployment.
On the Web:
John Henry Browne profile:
http://www.jhblawyer.com/attorneys/
Copyright 2012 Northwest News Network
Copyright 2012 Northwest News Network
