U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, who went house-to-house shooting Afghan villagers as they slept earlier this month, has been charged with 17 counts of murder and could face the death penalty, CNN reported.
Military prosecutors have also charged Bales, who is being held at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, with six counts of attempted murder.
Initial reports said that Bales, 38, killed 16 people, including nine children and three women, in the March 11 rampage in Afghanistan's Kandahar province. However, one other shooting victim has died, CNN said, citing prosecutors.
Bales, who was serving with the infantry's Third Stryker Brigade, had previously completed three tours in Iraq, during which he suffered head trauma and other injuries.
His defense lawyer, John Browne, said his client had no recollection of committing the crimes.
