With formal charges looming against his client within days, the lawyer for a U.S. Army sergeant suspected in the nighttime slaughter of 16 Afghan villagers is preparing for his first face-to-face meeting with the 10-year veteran.

The Army staff sergeant accused of slaughtering 16 Afghan civilians in a nighttime shooting rampage has a sketchy memory of the night of the massacre, his lawyer said Monday after meeting his client for the first time.