FORT WORTH, Texas — The Army psychiatrist charged in the deadly Fort Hood rampage will be tried in a military court and would face the death penalty if convicted, the commanding general for the Texas military post announced yesterday.
Maj. Nidal Hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the Nov. 5, 2009, shooting spree.
It was unclear when Hasan will be arraigned in a Fort Hood courtroom. He must plead not guilty because it is a death-penalty case, according to military law.
Hasan’s lead attorney, John Galligan, had urged Lt. Gen. Donald Campbell in May not to seek the death penalty, saying such cases were more costly, time-consuming and restrictive.
Two colonels who reviewed the case previously recommended that Hasan, 40, be court-martialed and face execution.