And Staff Sgt. Robert Bales looks like your average boy next door, yet he killed in cold blood 17 people.

Murderers come in all shapes, sizes, looks, and colors, as do their reasons for snapping.

Yeah, but just this guy's picture alone gives truckers a bad name.

Everything you own including the house you live in came by truck at some point. Lots of good honest hard working Americans out on the road.

Meanwhile, police are still searching for Bluto and Olive Oyl....

David...He snapped but he made himself believe he was at War Hmm" what a concept..I wouldnt be afraid of Bales, this other dirt bag maybe,the thing is he killed over along period of time, thats just sick.

So you have been the judge, and jury already?

chris-1895265, I agree, but I expect the media to put the most controversial pictures up anyway, due to their if-it-bleeds-it-leads credo.

Lusitania, Seriously, how would you as a little girl feel if Bales busted into your home at night and shot your parents and siblings, then came after you? Murder is sick, no matter what the reasons or the methodology.

Looks like the pictures they use for all those little ads - YOU QUALIFY FOR EDUCATION GRANTS!

David ..Bales doesn't recall the incident, I believe he has remorse, Rhoades" How do you have remorse when you kill so many so long..

I get what your saying the outcome was the same but its how they got their is what bothers me most.

Why isn't this disgusting creature taken out and hung in the public square?

I think for some of the old cliches, such as don't judge a book by it's cover, should be 'don't always judge a book by it's cover'. There are times that one should be judged on face value; I tell my girls this as it's better to be safe than sorry, life is not a Disney movie where the ogre is benevolent as is the hunchback, etc... .

Real life monsters make the ones we were afraid of as children pale in comparison. Even Dracula turned you with a few bites; not tortured, raped and then killed you after days.

No, don't judge by color, size, age, race, and in most cases by looks but come on; common sense has to kick in at some point. Perhaps this thing purposely mugged for the mugshot, but even without the crazy eye bit, still doesn't look right...... yet who knows how many got into the truck of torture.

David B-- I have real doubts that you are a vet. If you are, you were probably a potato peeler and have no idea what real soldiers go through.

Yep even without the "crazy eye" he still looks like someone who has suffered a stroke, seeing as they are all serial killers and rapists seems appropriateto make a judgment based on his appearance alone.

This guy looks like he's brain damaged or psychotic. I'd think twice before getting into a truck with him.

The reality is that most killers look and act pretty much like regular people, and that's how they manage to lull their victims into complacency.

Bottom line: don't hitchhike!!

Well there's the average joe looking serial killer, and then there's this guy. This guy would give me some serious pause out on a lonely stretch of highway. It's like a bad 80's horror movie type visage.

I think Yemeni-style justice is in order for this creep.

RJP, the discourse was cordial here until your pointless dig at David. Are you part of the mindless American massess that believe our men (and women) in the military are justified because of the crazy circumstances they are in no matter what they do or how atrocious the action is so long as it happens to "those people"? Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or where or to whom. Bales may have snapped. He may have gone temporarily insane, but murder is murder just the same and he deserves no greater protection from prosecution for those crimes than either you or I.

He (like the rest of our military) chose his line of profession and supposedly committed himself (like the rest of our military) to a higher standard and failed. His unfortunate failure will cost him as it has cost the families of those he murdered and as it has cost his own personal family. The other unfortunate casualty is our military itself as this is certainly a black eye for that special group of people who manage to hold onto their sanity day in and day out in face of extreme adversity. This is one man of many, but he will be seen the world wide as the face of them all for a long while to come. It is all a damn shame.

Aussierob; the point isn't to not hire, to not talk to at the grocery store, etc... but that with three daughters (whom better NOT ever hitch hike), from my stand point, caution has to come into play. Life is not A or B, black or white; most is the gray area. I would hope that with most, when it comes to personal safety, they are going to err on the side of caution so there are less and less of these stories. Blanket statements such as yours do not include the gray nor common sense.

My Dad, also a long hual truck driver, looks crazier than that but he's never seriously hurt anyone. (fist fights when he was younger don't count). Just a book by it's cover and you'll miss out on some great stories that are within.

Even pilots and servers, police, and others, are going wakko from stress. Why wouldn't men and women facing death every day, combust and implode? Especially the threat from not only men, but suicide bombers from women [some pregnant] and little kids. And their parents are proud. The way they torture and kill our soldiers drives our soldiers crazy. Crazy part of the world. Will take a thousand years for these people to get half way civilized.

But he looks like such a nice man!

He's a living and breathing demon, folks! Shame on me for insulting demons!

Crystal - there are military men and women who have gone through much more than Bales, and none of them went around murdering children! Most of them served with honor. This man has brought shame to those who did their job and came home (without shooting unarmed civilians in their beds).

When you speak about what they do to our soldiers, please remember that we are in their country, and if we really have a problem with what they're doing to our soldiers, maybe we should get out and leave them to work out their own problems!

Heading my way are you? Why sure you look extra friendly, I'll ride with you.

Ok, so I'm guessing this mugshot might have been one of several and the guy doesn't always look like that but still I'm betting he has that look and feel about him that would hopefully make one think twice, though, I agree with others that's not always the case and sometimes it can end up being those you least expect or an event that might just drive someone over the edge and would've never thought twice about.

At any rate this is why I would never hitchhike or pick up a hitchhiker, unless it was an extreme situation.

Sorry but ol one eye's (popeye) actions here I think are the very circumstance that does require the death penalty. I know he had a plea deal but it better have shed alot of light and this scumbag better be singing like a canary. Otherwise find a bullet with his name on it and save the taxpayers the cost. He's damaged goods plain and simple. Let God (or whatever you believe) sort him out, his value on this plain of existence is certainly zero now. I've said before maybe we can reach a day where we don't have to use the death penalty but as long as we have whack jobs like this I don't see any other option; keeping them locked up with little chance of change doesn't make sense either. That doesn't mean I don't think we need to be extra sure but at the same timing setting on death row for a few decades needs to stop too. Like it or not I think that is just how it is right now.

It is time.

He looks just like my father-in-law. My father-in-law is a Southern Baptist Preacher. He preaches at the local prision. Who the hell knows why prisioners are going missing.

sammy what it like being a fool?

sammy72746 - from the likes of your comment, i wouldn't be a bit surprised if you were this guy's son, and look exactly like him. You both are ignorant fools.

One reason why people get swindled is because they believe they can always judge the credibility of someone based upon first appearances. And sociopaths and psychopaths know how to copy various personalities. This is why they are fantastic liars. It should also be noted that although this idiot thouroughly looks like a kook in this mugshot with MSNBC's extra size enhancement (larger than most of their photos), one can conjecture that he may have been successful convincing many that he was just tired - after all he was a truck driver.

I wonder if he has any relatives named Igor?

As far as dark humor goes, that's probably the best one I've seen in a really long time. That being said... I felt extremely guilty about laughing at your comment. This is a horrifying story.

Hitchhiker 101: Don't accept rides from anyone who looks like popeye on a crack binge.

Those comments are TERRIBLE...giggle...

Seriously though, EVIL comes in many different packages!

I suspect his eye defect was caused by one of his last victims who fought back a little harder than he was used to.

'Pink Slime' comes to mind...maybe mechanically separated for fish food? Forgive me, but I can't help thinking along these lines in such cases. There's always a use for something, isn't there?

So you can become just like him?

nope...so we can take care of the f'n problem....thats how it works..

horton, that isn't how it works or it would have been done. The f'n problem is that they keep letting people out of prison who have commited violent crimes. A violent crime should automatically give you life, even domestic violence and that goes for the women too.

One of the problems is there are people that don't believe something as disgusting as this, after torturing, raping, eventually killing after completely destroying other's minds and lives is going to simply sit in a cell with three squares a day, medical care to boot. True, being sequestered from the rest of the prison population drives some crazy and is a hell of it's own design but still doesn't seem enough, similarly with lethal injections.

Course does dictate we can't as a society let mob rules run the streets, but once found to be guilty the least should be to bring back public hangings as this does serve two purposes; one, toward the offender and two, as a deterent to others. More visual, more visceral. No, it won't stop all the rotten's in the world but would do more to satisfy not only for afore stated reasons but also vengeance is a real and sometimes warranted emotive response.

He's fessed up to some (perhaps little) of what he's done and we do know some of how so to now drag him through the streets until dead doesn't bother me at all. This doesn't put me on the same level of this thing; it's exacting the same fear, the same torture as it exerted upon it's victims. Follows, too, that if you violently stab someone to death and are found to be the aggressor, no self defense, as in home roberies, etc.. then you're to be stabbed to death. This would certainly be a 'think twice' moment for many. Again, not all would agree so at least back to public hangings....

Well that's kind of an insane solution f walsh.

I'd agree, Tripps; most domestic violence cases are a bit of a wash as to fault and extent. There are violent criminals that should remain in their concrete and steel kennels, but some of what's charged up to be considered 'violent', well.......

This psycho baby killer is getting off with a mere slap of the wrist- once again, our so-called (lack of) justice system at work. Now the taxpayers can pay to keep him alive in the local prison and pay for his HBO each month.

Try this guy. Find him guilty and be sure (don't think that will be hard). Then get a bullet, a gun, and end it. I'm sure many would donate the bullet and probably volunteer to let their gun be used if this is a problem. It would be nice to think that someday we won't need capitol punishment but unfortunately today is not that day. Sometimes you get a bad apple and there is no changing that and you just have to throw it out. That is this guy.

Why treat this guy any different than Joesph Duncan. He molested several children then when released from prision in Minn. he made his way to Idaho to kill five more with a hammer and kidnap the Dillion children. He molested both and killed the son. Shasta was finally rescused. He his still alive. No different than this guy.

He prolly had the stroke since his arrest.

Jeeze! He looks like the "The Cyclops" in that old 1957 movie by the same name.

I don't get why anyone would get in a car/truck period. It doesn't matter what they look like. With all the crazies out there, I wouldn't take the chance.

None of the GOOD people would stop and give them a ride! So, next time you pass the hitch hiker... you have to think. Am I leaving them for prey? But they may be crazy strung out hitch hikers... true...

on the down side...lol...ww.youtube.com/watch?v=chc1DPkZ4LM

I was thinking spinach. TOOT TOOT

This was in the early 90's - it wasn't as scary then as it is now for some reason.

I hitchhiked a few time in the late 70's, had to get to work in a different town, 30 miles away. We lived in a pretty nice area, and hey, it was the 70's! Then I caught a ride with a scary guy, that just kept looking at me out of the corner of his eye, and he had a gun rack in the back window! He never said a word the entire ride, and let me out alive, but I NEVER hitched a ride again!

I won't even let my husband PICK up a hitchhiker if I'm with him!

We all know it's dangerous but beyond that no one has the right to hurt another person. Back in the 90's it was just as scary, even growing up in the seventies after several hitchhickers had been murdered across the country a hue and cry warning people not to do it was given across the nation. This is about the same as the blame the victim thing people always pull. Even if you are walking down the street with a sign around your neck telling someone to torture and kill you they still don't have the right to do it.

Seriously! I mean , why would anyone get in the truck with this guy? The look on his face should've set all kinds of alarm bells off.

Maybe he wore sunglasses....and then, they found out too late.

I don't see alot of truckers looking like Fabio or George Clooney....why did they get in the truck? It probably was raining, and they were tired of walking!!!!

Why do you think they were hitching to begin with? They had no other means.

I've hitched before with some rather unsavory characters...this guy, compared to most that I've seen, looks pretty normal.. its the popeye look that scares ya a tad.

Why do people compare animals to people. I've never heard of an animal torturing or kidnapping or any other horrible thing that humans come up with.

he killed a 14 year old girl...that she be enough...

Shann....you should watch dark days in monkey city..a very close look at the macaque...they did a brilliant job and showing their behavior and you can see they behave just as humans do when it comes to power and control..

Shann, as a wildlife photographer, I can tell you don't spend much time around animals. Nature is full of not only brutal competition, but wanton inexplicable violence. Ever see a cat torture a small bird? Ever watch a video of an orca tormenting seals, or a leopard seal torturing a penguin? In many cases they don't even eat their victims.

We should be glad that these cases among humans are comparatively rare and psychopathic... in many mammal species they are common!

Hell male lions kill the children of it's rivals just so the mothers will mate again. Plenty of brutality in nature. And we ARE animals. Most of them lack the self awareness necessary for morality tho. Not so sure about dolphins, they seem to just be dicks.

i think his cat was named calimazoo...

never mind that was the dealers cat...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZHSIhdYSZY

I'm betting it was a parrot with a pegleg.

Ack ..... thhhhttppd

Hello!, I can understand your sentiment but again I will repeat what I've tried to drill into I don't know how many other people's heads, it costs MORE to kill these guys than it does to give them life the way our current system is so the "American taxpayer" is being saved money by this verdict. With a death penalty there are years and years of appeals, all which are costing you money. All it takes is a few minutes of reading up on this, easily done on your computer, to find this out. Also, it takes a heavy toll on the executioners mentally and some prisons require that the "death squad" get therapy. Many prisons are asking that the death penalty be done away just with for that reason.

Death squad get therapy....?
Well, there are volunteers who would be happy to flick the switch and who wouldn't need an ounce of therapy!
I get tired of the financial cost excuse when it comes to the death sentence v's life sentence. It only costs a lot because, like the tax system, we've allowed it to become too cumbersome. Appeal time could be reduced if the burden was placed on the accused having to bring new evidence to the appeal process. Otherwise, appeals would not be granted. I firmly believe that part of the reason people are so casual about murdering others is that they don't really believe they will die as a result of their actions. So when they kidnap a victim they pretty much know that they might as well kill them too, as either way they will probably only serve time. I believe that there are murder cases that should only get the death penalty and these are cases when a defenseless child or a very elderly person is killed. This weirdo killed a 14 year old and averaged killing 3 women a week! I think with that record, even if it took years to execute him, it's money well spent. Instead, this plea bargain deal has just sent a message to other nuts out there to keep doing what you are doing, because you'll be able to avoid the ultimate punshment.

It costs more to kill them than to keep them alive only because of all the endless appeals that cost the government millions of dollars for no reason. It's the tired old Liberal line that it costs more to kill them. Give them a year after conviction for appeals and put them to death.

It wouldn't cost so much if the appeals process was more efficient. The whole process should take less than 5 years from start to finish, all appeals completed. Then we wouldn't be paying tens of thousands of dollars a year for decades for someone to sit on death row. Corporations are constantly working on ways to make thier businesses run more efficient and cost effective. Prisons should be doing the same.

Allie, Honey...you must be mentally deficient. It costs MUCH more to keep them in prison.

It could and should cost alot less to execute them, I will even pay for the rope, We can use it multiple times, as far as the apeals if there is a actual conclusive DNA evidence, a confession, or 2 witnesses, there should be no appeal, they are found guilty within 48 hrs they need to be hanged in public and ALL those in juvinial detention are required to attend or otherwise watch so they know what they are headed for!!

your are very correct bluthunder. People need to fear something to deter them from commiting these crimes. This was not a one time crime of passion but preplanned murder. Years ago people feared god and the law. Now they fear nothing. A person who fears nothing is very dangerous. There should be public hangings of murderours like this guy. I beleive if there was a hanging once a weak at least one person would think twice about taking an innnocent life. I also beleive police should be given more authority to do thier jobs and not be afraid of a lawsuit at every turn. Now police havew to handle people with white gloves on not to get a lawsuit or evidence thrown out of court. Years ago it was ot like this and the streets were much safer.

The problem is, too many people are killed and then DNA proves they were innocent!

I don't need to be ganged up on, telling me "it doesn't happen that often" ONCE is enough!

the appeals process would be more efficient if our court system also was. We make too many damn mistakes to just simplify the process of killing people legally.

And why as an American tax payer are we having to keep this scum alive?

Unless you live in the same state, you're not.

He doesn't get the death penalty because he plead guilty which most probably includes the lose of right to appeal. The cost to the tax payers, as that seems to be the major concern here, is minimized to simple housing (hey, people have jobs providing that housing), food (hey people have jobs providing that food), clothing (hey people have jobs providing that clothing) and medical care (again, people have jobs providing that medical care).

A prison creates jobs, which creates employees, which creates pay checks, which creates tax payers. Woo-Hoo, we have an economy that is DEPENDENT on keeping those prisons full. A person who gets life without parole is keeping dozens of people EMPLOYED.

ruby14, the only problem with your "bring the juveniles from the detention center to watch" is that public executions have never worked at deterence.

Back when public executions were a family event and had a festival like atmosphere, it never occured to other criminals to stop their wicked ways. They just got more creative in covering their tracks.

Seriously, public executions have never worked in regards to stopping other criminals.

captbrngdwn there is NO way to prove they are not a deterrent, unless every person who had ever watched one was asked if it changed them you cannot prove it didn't. but you are still guaranteed the person who commited the murders will NEVER get a chance to murder someone else, it will be cheaper then paying 50,000 to humanly execute them, unlike those that get life and escape( it does happen) or get paroled and do it again, there are many cases of those that have commited a murder after being released

WaggleToOth, "honey", show me a link showing that you are correct or is that link only in your own head?

fbikerchick he did it all over the country it will be a federal crime, he will go to a FEDERAL prison, we will all be paying to keep him alive no matter what state you live in

i drive a truck and wouldnt even talk with a j.o. like that i hope he gets the same in prison like a jeffrey dahmer deal

it's like rain.....on your wedding day.

It's the good advice that you just didn't take. (Like don't get in a truck with a real-life Popeye.)

Who woulda thought it figured?

Its like 10 thousand spoons, when all you need is a knife.

It's meeting the man of your dreams (truck driver), and then meeting his beautiful wife....

I think he ate his wife.

It doesn't work that way. The scumbag drunk driver that almost killed my son in an accident had a criminal record a mile long. And he looked it too. Often, driving a truck is the only job they can get because the trucking industry is lax on doing background checks or drug/alcolhol testing.

JB Hunt, Swift, Schneider, AND Werner, all in the same year. then he went to CR England and Dick Simon

I think there might be something wrong with his brain.

No way.

It gives the justice system a feel-good moment and adds to their convictions and closed case score. At the same time, it tells any like-minded dirt bags that all succeeding murders are actually beneficial in giving the perpetrator a useful tool in the bargaining process. In effect, every one after the first is a freebie.

For this guy (who is 65 years old), one life sentence is probably a true life sentence. The news article does not state whether this is a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

There are good reasons to impose more than one life sentence, particularly if the sentences are "stacked." By stacking the sentences, they run consecutively, not concurrently. Thus, for example, assume you have a defendant who is 20 years old and convicted of three murders. If each sentence is a life sentence WITH the possibility of parole, say, after serving 25 years, the judge may stack the sentences so that the criminal will have to serve 25 years on each sentence (75 years total) before being eligible for parole.

Conversely, if, under my example, the sentences were to run concurrently, the defendant would only have to serve 25 years before being eligible for parole.