Nidal Hasan is not longer “allegedly” the Fort Hood shooter. The former Army psychiatrist was found guilty on 13 counts of premeditated murder on Friday, and could be the first member of the U.S. military to be put to death in 50 years.
Hasan admitted to carrying out the Fort Hood shooting massacre of 2009 pretty much from the start. He seemed disinterested in his defense , calling no witnesses and giving no statement for himself before allowing his case to rest, prompting his mandatory defense team to intervene on his behalf and attempt to persuade the judge that he was purposefully seeking the death penalty .
Another crucial aspect to the Fort Hood case was Hasan’s suspected ties to terrorist group Al Qaeda and the possibility that his actions were religiously motivated. He admitted that his actions were the result of his changing sides in what he called an American war against Islam .
Next up is the penalty phase of his court martial. That will begin Monday. Under military law, two counts of premeditated murder put the death penalty on the table.
According to official records , five men are currently on death row at Forth Leavenworth, but the last military execution took place in 1961 when an Army private was hanged after he was convicted of rape and attempted murder.
Besides the 13 dead, Hasan was also charged with attempted murder for the 31 people who he wounded. During his attack, most of his victims were shot in the back, some while attempting to crawl away.
Nidal Hasan was finally stopped when a police officer shot him, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.