Emma Scanlan, an associate of John Henry Browne, who is defending Bales against the military's current accusations, didn't immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.
'Heartbreaking Tragedy'
By the time the judgment was rendered, Bales had already joined the U.S. Army, having signed up less than two months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He served a total of three tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.
After the March 11 killings in southern Afghanistan, he was flown to a U.S. military prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The Army will probably file charges against him on March 22, Browne said in an interview yesterday.
Karilyn Bales said in a statement yesterday that what happened "was a terrible and heartbreaking tragedy."
Browne has suggested the incident may be connected to a brain injury Bales suffered. The military has suggested Bales snapped under marital stress and the influence of alcohol, an account Browne disputes.
Whatever led to the killings, it's clear from court records that the Bales family was facing mounting money troubles.
No Help
A federal law, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, provides some protection against debt collectors and foreclosure for military personnel. Those protections were no help to Bales, because they only apply to debt incurred before active service.
"The whole concept of the SCRA vaporizes when you're on active duty," said John S. Odom Jr., a retired Air Force judge advocate and partner in the Jones, Odom & Politz LLP law firm in Shreveport, Louisiana. "You are expected to know the debt you can and cannot service."