A US soldier charged with the premeditated murder of 16 civilians in Afghanistan is due to appear in a military court on Monday.
Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales is accused of walking off a US military base before dawn on March 11 and opening fire on families in their homes, killing nine Afghan children and seven adults and burning some of the bodies.
Six others were wounded, including one victim who died while under coalition care, meaning another murder charge could be added.
The Article 32 hearing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington will decide if the 39-year-old's case should proceed to a full court martial.
It is the worst case of civilian murders allegedly committed by an American in Afghanistan and severely strained US ties with the country.
Bales, a father-of-two from Lake Tapps in Washington, was quickly transferred back to America following the attack, a move which further angered the Afghan authorities.
His wife, Karilyn, who plans to attend the hearing, has repeatedly argued he could not have committed the atrocity.
Afghan villagers will give evidence via video-link after they refused to leave their homes to take part in the two-week hearing.
The graves of some of the victims of the massacre Bales' mental state is likely to be central to the defence case.
He was on his fourth tour of duty, after three stints in Iraq, where he suffered head and foot injuries.
Prosecutors allege Bales repeatedly abused steroids and was drinking alcohol the night before the killings.
The hearing will also feature the first public airing of a surveillance blimp video that is said to show Bales returning to camp and surrendering.
Legal experts suggest Bales is unlikely to be executed even if he is found guilty of premeditated murder. He is more likely to be given a life sentence.
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