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ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
The American soldier accused of killing 16 villagers in Afghanistan last year plans to plead guilty in order to avoid the death penalty. Lawyers say Staff Sergeant Robert Bales will plead guilty to 16 counts of premeditated murder next week and that his sentencing trial will be held in September.
The deal, which takes execution off the table, will need to be approved by a military judge at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state. NPR's Martin Kaste is covering this story, and he joins us now from Seattle.