Robert Bales ( born June 30 , 1973 ) is a former United States Army soldier who murdered 16 Afghan civilians in Panjwayi , Kandahar , Afghanistan , on March 11 , 2012 – an event known as the Kandahar massacre . In order to avoid the death penalty , he pleaded guilty to 16 counts of murder and six counts of assault and attempted murder in a plea deal . On August 23 , 2013 , he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole
Kandahar massacre
Kandahar massacre
Robert Bales