Friday, August 23, 2013

Gunman Found Guilty Of Murder



photoA military jury on Friday convicted Army Maj. Nidal Hasan of 13 counts of murder and 32 counts of attempted murder in a November 5, 2009, shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, making it possible for the death penalty to be considered as a punishment.
The jurors deliberated fewer than seven hours over two days before unanimously finding Hasan guilty of the premeditated murder counts.
Hasan admitted to targeting soldiers he was set to deploy with to Afghanistan to protect the Taliban and its leaders. The shooting rampage occurred at a deployment processing center.
It was unclear whether the jury agreed unanimously on 32 counts of premeditated attempted murder. In a court-martial, the jury does not have to unanimously agree to convict.
The judge was reconvening the court at 3 p.m., according to a Fort Hood public affairs official. It was not known whether the judge intended to address the question or take up another matter during the session, the official said.
Even if it was not a unanimous conviction on the premeditated attempted murder charges, Hasan remains eligible for the death penalty based on the jury's unanimous premeditated murder conviction.
The court-martial moves on Monday to the penalty phase, where Hasan - acting as his own attorney - will have the opportunity to address the jurors considering whether he should be executed for his actions.

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