A jury has sentenced Nidal Hasan to death for his heinous actions in the November, 2009 Fort Hood massacre.
On August 23rd, Hasan was found guilty of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. Hasan’s own standby defense lawyers had asked to be excused from the case because the Fort Hood shooter seemed to be arguing for his own death sentence.
The sentence of death also means that Hasan will get an automatic appeal.
Hopefully, Hasan’s victims, who have thus far been disqualified from receiving combat-related benefits and Purple Hearts because of the incident’s “workplace violence” classification instead of terrorism, will someday see justice.
Updates:
Per military law, Hasan’s death sentence is subject to review and approval by a convening authority. Assuming the sentence is approved and carried out, Hasan would be the first active-duty soldier executed in more than 50 years.
Prosecutor Col. Rick Mulligan addressed the issue of Hasan’s statements regarding being a martyr, via KVUE:
“You cannot offer what you do not own,” Mulligan said in reference to the fact that Hasan has made statements regarding being a martyr. “You cannot give what you don’t have…he will never be a martyr because he has nothing to give. He is not giving his life. We are taking his life…This is not his gift to God. This is his debt to society. He is a criminal. He is a cold blooded murderer.”
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