Accused soldier, wife spoke briefly on phone twice

Staff Sgt. Robert Bales Bale Karilyn his wife, first from abroad named after the March 11 pre-selected dawn massacre, and a second period of the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on Wednesday, attorney Lance Rosen said.He added that he does not know what country Bale contact with his wife during the first call.Shortly after the shooting, was Bale, 38, moved from Afghanistan. It is held at Fort Leavenworth.STORY: Soldier formally charged with 17 counts of murderRosen said that the call on Wednesday, the couple was "advance notice the call was coming and that the call would be followed in view. It was not more than 10 minutes. They talked about family stuff, and reaffirmed their love for each other. "Karilyn Bale said in a statement by Rosen that she "remains deep sorrow affected by the news reports about the night of March 11. She has no more information about what happened other than what the government and the media have released."The military on Friday charged Bales with 17 cases of murder, six counts of attempted murder and six counts of assault of the massacre in two villages in southern Afghanistan near its base. The father of two children was officially informed of the charges just before noon at the military prison in Kansas.The maximum penalty for conviction on charges premeditated murder is death, dishonorable discharge from the army, reduction to the lowest enlisted rank and total forfeiture of pay and allowances, according to Col. Gary Kolb, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The mandatory minimum sentence is life imprisonment with the possibility of parole.Rosen said the family has a Defense Fund, The Staff Sergeant Robert Bales Legal Defense Fund to help pay legal expenses."The legal fees and costs arising from this matter will be astronomical." Rosen said earlier this week. "The family wants Robert to be the best defense possible. They can not afford."