Traces of blood from nine people were found on the clothes of Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, the U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians in March, a forensic specialist told Reuters Thursday. Although Christine Trapolsi, a DNA examiner with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation laboratory, was able to identify traces of blood belonging to nine people — four females and five males — only one of the DNA samples matched blood found at the crime scene, Reuters reported. Military prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Sgt. Bales, and Trapolsi's testimony could decide whether there is enough evidence to move forward with a court-martial. On Friday, Afghan witnesses are scheduled to testify by live video from Afghanistan's Kandahar Air Field to the hearing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state. Witnesses slated to appear include two Afghan National Army guards who were present at Camp Belambay on the night of the incident. Sgt. Bales, a decorated veteran, faces 16 counts of premeditated murder and six counts of attempted murder.
