Hasan will face death penalty in deadly fort hood rampage

The suspect in the November 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood will be tried in a general court martial and could face the death penalty if convicted. This means that Major Nidal Hasan, 40, an Army psychiatrist, likely will not be able to make a plea bargain before trial concerning the 13 individuals Nidal Hasankilled and 32 wounded in the shooting spree at the Texas base. Hasan, 40, is expected to appear in a Fort Hood courtroom for an arraignment and could enter a plea.

Hasan is charged with killing 13 people and wounding 32 in November 2009 at a soldier processing centre on Fort Hood, the nation’s largest military base

Hasan’s defense attorney, former military judge John Galligan, has been highly critical of how the government has pursued the case and has complained that he has been denied government documents vital to defending his client. Hasan has attended several brief court hearings and an evidential hearing last fall that lasted about two weeks. He sometimes took notes and showed no reaction as 56 witnesses testified, including more than two dozen soldiers who survived gunshot wounds.

Galligan claims that the government failed to act even after intelligence agencies had advance knowledge that Hasan was communicating with Muslim radicals overseas. Galligan also says that Hasan’s Army superiors turned a blind eye to his behaviour when they evaluated his professional performance and promoted and transferred him.

Hasan will face death penalty in deadly fort hood rampage

Report by Vibhanshu Vibhav