Shooting at Ft. Hood Texas 11/05/09 13 dead, 43 wounded-(Murder Charges)

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/Sister-of-Fort-Hood-victim-hopes-trial-will--218457361.html
Sister of Fort Hood hero will attend Hasan's trial
August 5, 2013


Credit: Family photo
Leila Hunt-Willingham said she will attend the trial of accused Fort Hood gunman Maj. Nidal Hasan to learn more about her brother, Army Spc. Jason "J.D." Hunt, who was one of the 13 people killed in the 2009 shootings.

McKINNEY — Leila Hunt-Willingham has learned to live without her brother, but his letters and pictures sometimes ease her broken heart.
"In my eyes, he was a very strong, sweet, young man," she said from her home in McKinney.
Army Specialist Jason "J.D." Hunt, 22, was killed in the November 2009 shooting massacre at Fort Hood. He was one of the 13 people who died. Thirty-two others were wounded.
Nearly four years after the incident, Maj. Nidal Hasan, the accused shooter, is set to go on trial  Tuesday. Hasan will be representing himself, and will question his alleged victims.
Hunt-Willingham plans to attend the trial along with her mother and grandmother, but says she isn't looking for closure.
"Nothing that comes out of this trial is going to help me unless there's a miracle worker who can raise people from the dead," she said. "My brother is gone, and I'm just going to learn more about him, to support him... not to really find out the outcome of Major Hasan."
More...

Video and photos at link.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/opening-statements-to-begin-in-hasan-trial/nZFym/
Opening statements to begin in Hasan trial
August 6, 2013

FORT HOOD — Nearly 1,400 days after the Nov. 5, 2009, mass shooting here, opening statements in the court-martial of Maj. Nidal Hasan will begin this morning at 9 a.m.
Prosecutors are expected to give a lengthy multimedia statement; Hasan, who is acting as his own attorney, would follow if he chooses to do so.
This morning we may also see the first of the 32 wounded victims testify and come face-to-face with Hasan, who is expected to conduct cross-examinations. It’s unclear how much he will question the victims; during jury selection, he alternated between peppering potential jurors with questions about Islam and Shariah law and quiet passivity.
Hasan faces the death penalty on 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. A jury of 13 high-ranking Army officers was seated yesterday to hear the case.
Last night, Hasan released more documents to Fox News, this time the results of his 2011 sanity board hearing, in which investigators found he began his “journey to Islam” after the death of his mother in 2001. In previous statements that he released, Hasan has renounced his U.S. citizenship, called his military service a mistake and explained why he believes Shariah law is superior to American-style democracy.
If he receives the death penalty, he would join five other service members on the military death row. The military has not executed anyone since 1961.
 



BBM-  Frankly, I don't give a d*** whether Major Hasan believes Shariah law is superior to American-style democracy.  JMHO

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wfaa.com/news/national/218494291.html
Key questions about Fort Hood shooting trial
August 6, 2013

DALLAS (AP) — Maj. Nidal Hasan will stand trial in a court-martial that starts Tuesday for the shooting rampage at Fort Hood that left 13 people dead and more than 30 people wounded at the Texas military base on Nov. 5, 2009.
Here are some details about the case so far and what to expect from the trial:

WHAT CHARGES DOES HASAN FACE?
Hasan faces 13 specifications of premeditated murder and 32 specifications of attempted premeditated murder under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. If convicted, he would face the death penalty.

WHY HAS THE CASE TAKEN SO LONG TO PROSECUTE?
Judges in the case have granted a series of delays for preparation or other issues, often at the request of Hasan or his attorneys. A fight over Hasan's beard, which violates military regulations, led to a stay shortly before the trial was expected to begin last year and the eventual replacement of the judge. Legal experts have said authorities are doing their best to avoid mistakes that could lead to a reversal of any guilty verdict, noting that Hasan would have multiple mandatory appeals if he's found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. Military appeals courts have overturned most death sentences they've seen in the last three decades.
More questions...

[MuffyBee]

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/23054620/fort-hood-trial-brings-together-attacker-victims
Fort Hood trial brings together attacker, victims
August 6, 2013

Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57597112/fort-hood-victim-says-maj-hasan-deserves-harsh-justice/
Fort Hood victim says Maj. Hasan deserves harsh justice
August 5, 2013

 
On Tuesday, Maj. Nidal Hasan goes on trial in military court for 13 counts of murder and 32 counts of attempted murder in the 2009 attack.

Hasan is acting as his own lawyer, which means he can question witnesses, including the victims.
The shooting left Staff Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford blind in his left eye and struggling with post traumatic stress disorder. Now he faces what could be his biggest challenge of all: a possible cross-examination by the man charged with shooting him seven times.

"No matter what type of smirk or what time of smart comment that he comes out with, I stay on point, on topic, straight to the point," Lunsford says, adding the questioning is going to be "extremely hard."

"It's going to be very difficult," he says. "Because inside me, I want him to physically feel what it feels like to have his life in my hands."

Lunsford faced Hasan in one previous hearing.

"He had the same look on his face that day that he had on his face the day that he shot us -- a cold malice person," Lunsford says. "So I locked eyes with him to show that I fear no man."

Asked if he fears Hasan, Lunsford says, "No. The question should be asked does he fear me?"

Lunsford says he thinks Hasan does. "He should," he adds.

"In a perfect world," Lunsford says, justice means "an eye for an eye."

"Let it be judged by Islamic law, where death would be by stoning," he says. "And if that's the case, then let each one of us have a chance to give it that all-American pitch. That's what we need to make sure that justice is served."

It would be pretty harsh justice, Lunsford acknowledges.

"Just as harsh as killing a person in cold blood," he says.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57597171/fort-hood-shooting-trial-gets-under-way-with-faceoff-between-gunman-and-victims-likely/
Fort Hood shooting trial gets under way with faceoff between gunman and victims likely
August 6, 2013

 

On Tuesday, guards stood watch with long assault rifles outside the courthouse. A long row of shipping freight containers, stacked three high, created a fence around the building, which was almost entirely hidden by 15-foot-tall stacks of heavy, shock-absorbing barriers that extend to the roofline.

Hasan's defense strategy remains unclear. He wanted to argue that he carried out the shooting in "defense of others" — namely members of the Taliban fighting in Afghanistan — but Osborn, the judge, denied that strategy. The government has said that Hasan, a U.S.-born Muslim, had sent more than a dozen emails starting in December 2008 to Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical U.S.-born Islamic cleric killed by a drone strike in Yemen in 2011.

John Galligan, Hasan's former lead attorney, said Monday that he still keeps in touch with Hasan but wasn't sure what he would say Tuesday, if anything.

Hasan has indicated recently that he still wants his views to be heard. He has released statements to media outlets about his views on the Islamic legal code known as Sharia and how it conflicts with American democracy.

If he is convicted and sentenced to death, it will most likely be decades before he makes it to the death chamber, if at all. The military has not executed an active-duty soldier since 1961. Five men are on the military death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., but none is close to an execution date.

Authorities in the military justice system have also struggled to avoid reversed sentences on appeal. Eleven of the 16 death sentences handed down by military juries in the last 30 years have been overturned, according to an academic study and court records.

That's one reason why prosecutors and the military judge have been careful leading up to trial, said Geoffrey Corn, a professor at the South Texas College of Law and former military lawyer.

"The public looks and says, `This is an obviously guilty defendant. What's so hard about this?"' Corn said. "What seems so simple is in fact relatively complicated."

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/opening-statements-to-begin-in-hasan-trial/nZFym/
Hasan declares ‘I am the shooter’ in opening statements
August 6, 2013

FORT HOOD — As his long-awaited court-martial got underway Tuesday morning, Maj. Nidal Hasan made a stark declaration in his opening statements.
“The evidence will clearly show that I am the shooter … the dead bodies will testify that war is an ugly thing,” said Hasan, who is acting as his own attorney.
 
 jury of 13 high-ranking Army officers was seated Monday to hear the case.
Hasan told those jurors that he was on the “wrong side of the war against Islam” before changing sides and carrying out the attack.
Prosecutors, during their opening statement, said Hasan was motivated by a desire to conduct jihad against his fellow soldiers and the desire to avoid unemployment.
The first witness is about to testify.
This morning we may also see the first of the 32 wounded victims testify and come face-to-face with Hasan, who is expected to conduct cross-examinations. It’s unclear how much he will question the victims; during jury selection, he alternated between peppering potential jurors with questions about Islam and Shariah law and quiet passivity.
Last night, Hasan released more documents to Fox News, this time the results of his 2011 sanity board hearing, in which investigators found he began his “journey to Islam” after the death of his mother in 2001. In previous statements that he released, Hasan has renounced his U.S. citizenship, called his military service a mistake and explained why he believes Shariah law is superior to American-style democracy.
If he receives the death penalty, he would join five other service members on the military death row. The military has not executed anyone since 1961.

Comments

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/fort-hood-shooting-rampage-suspect-maj-nidal-malik-hasan-apologizes-for-any-mistakes
First witnesses linked to Guns Galore
Government: Hasan Web-searched "terrorist killing"
August 6, 2013

FORT HOOD, Texas (KXAN) - The first three witnesses in the military trial for the man accused of the 2009 shootings at Fort Hood were employees or customers of Guns Galore -- the store which legally sold one of the guns used in the shooting rampage.
The store manager said Maj. Nidal Hasan was a frequent customer and came in wanting the most technologically advanced handgun on the market. On almost every visit to the store, he would purchase ammunition.

Hasan also made the rare request to take cell phone video of the manager showing him how to assemble and dissemble the laser sight to the weapon.

When a customer talked to him about the "FN Five-Seven" handgun, Hasan never would answer the question as to how he intended to use the gun.

"His only real specification was magazine capacity," said William Gilbert, another frequent customer at Guns Galore.

When the weapon was introduced as evidence, Hasan spoke up.

"Your honor, I'd like to state for the record that this is my weapon," he said.

Hasan has yet to cross-examine anyone. And while the panel is allowed to submit questions that must first be approved, none have been submitted.
 
Hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder and faces the death penalty if convicted.

"I apologize for any mistakes I made in this endeavor," said Hasan. "Thirteen U.S. soldiers were killed and many injured. The evidence will clearly show I am the shooter.”

During Hasan's opening statements, he said the evidence will show one side -- showing that the United States is the wrong side.

"There is death, destruction and devastation on both sides -- that is for both friend and foe,” said Hasan. “The evidence will also show that I was on the wrong side.”

He added that he is an imperfect Muslim: "We, the Mujahideen, are imperfect Muslims trying to create the perfect religion.”

A contrast to Hasan's opening statements, the government opened for 45 minutes, retracing Hasan's every move through the Soldier Readiness Processing building where the massacre happened and up until he was shot down by an officer.

The prosecution hit three main points:

What the evidence will show about nature and circumstances.
Some of the evidence that shows motive.
Planning and preparation to show he tried to kill as many as he could.
The government said Hasan talked about his unwillingness to be deployed.

Government attorney Steve Henricks said Hasan even did Internet searches on his laptop for "terrorist killing innocent Quran" and "killing of woman and children Quran."

They said civilians at a graduation saw him and asked him why he had a gun -- to which he allegedly responded saying that it was a paintball gun for training.

Government officials contend Hasan showed up on Nov. 5, 2009, armed with a rifle, pistol and 420 rounds of ammunition -- targeting only uniformed soldiers.

The prosecution said he spared civilians and nurses, with the exception of one civilian who tried to stop him. That person was killed.

Some 147 casings were found in the building where 13 people died in the rampage.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://interactives.kxan.com/photomojo/gallery/8536/1/day-1-fort-hood-shooting-trial/maj.-nidal-hasan-sketch/
Day 1: Fort Hood shooting trial
Opening arguments began, and witnesses took the stand in the long-awaited military trial for the man accused of the 2009 shootings at Fort Hood. August 6, 2013

(5 sketches)


Maj. Nidal Hasan sketch

The first three witnesses in the military trial for the man accused of the 2009 shootings at Fort Hood were employees or customers of Guns Galore -- the store which legally sold one of the guns used in the shooting rampage.

Credit: Brigitte Woosley

Related: Trial Day 1

[MuffyBee]

August 6, 2013 Tweets
https://twitter.com/KXAN_News

Chris Sadeghi ‏@chrissadeghi 24m
#Hasan also used cross-examination for first time. Questions old supervisor about positive reviews he gave Hasan for his psychiatrist work
 Retweeted by KXAN News

 Chris Sadeghi ‏@chrissadeghi 25m
Man testifies that day of shooting, #Hasan took over the call to prayer at local Islamic Center. Said it was "odd" & not normal for a mosque
 Retweeted by KXAN News

 Jackie Vega ‏@TheJackieVega 1h
PHOTOS: Day 1 #FortHood shooting trial | Witnesses take stand in long-awaited trial for man accused of rampage #hasan http://interactives.kxan.com/photomojo/gallery/8536/1/day-1-fort-hood-shooting-trial/maj.-nidal-hasan-sketch/ …
 Retweeted by KXAN News

 Chris Sadeghi ‏@chrissadeghi 2h
First 3 witnesses are employees/customers of Guns Galore. Say #Hasan was in a lot. Interested in high capacity handgun. Bought lots of ammo
 Retweeted by KXAN News

 KXAN News ‏@KXAN_News 2h
MT @chrissadeghi: “I apologize for any mistakes I made in this endeavor.” - #Hasan 1st witness to be called shortly. http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/fort-hood-shooting-rampage-suspect-maj-nidal-malik-hasan-apologizes-for-any-mistakes …

 Chris Sadeghi ‏@chrissadeghi 3h
Govt. says #Hasan only targeted soldiers. Civilians at a graduation saw him, asked why he had gun, he said it was a paintball gun 4 training
 Retweeted by KXAN News

 Chris Sadeghi ‏@chrissadeghi 3h
Government says #Hasan showed up armed with rifle, pistol, and 420 rounds of ammo. 147 casings were found in the building where 13 died.
 Retweeted by KXAN News
Expand
 Chris Sadeghi ‏@chrissadeghi 3h
Government's opening statements was about 45 minutes. Retraced #Hasan's every move through SRP building where 13 people were killed.
 Retweeted by KXAN News

 Chris Sadeghi ‏@chrissadeghi 3h
#Hasan says evidence will show 1 side, but will show US is on the wrong side. Says he is imperfect Muslim trying to create perfect religion
 Retweeted by KXAN News

 Chris Sadeghi ‏@chrissadeghi 3h
Opening arguments complete at #HasanTrial. Hasan's statement was only about a minute long. Said evidence will clearly show he is the shooter
 Retweeted by KXAN News

 Erin Cargile ‏@erincargile 3h
Follow @KXAN_News reporter @chrissadeghi for courtroom updates on #HasanTrial He'll be tweeting from Ft Hood all week.
 Retweeted by KXAN News

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/Fort-Hood-Shooting-trial-begins-Tuesday-218491751.html
Maj. Hasan: Evidence will show 'I am the shooter'
August 6, 2013

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) -- The Army psychiatrist accused in the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood targeted fellow soldiers in a meticulously planned attack that included stockpiling bullets and researching Taliban leaders calling for jihad, a military prosecutor said Tuesday during the opening day of the long-awaited trial.
Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan spent time at a shooting range and purchased a pistol and extender kit to hold more ammunition before carrying out his plan to "kill as many soldiers as he could" while avoiding civilians, Col. Steve Henricks told jurors. The shooting, which killed 13 people and injured more than 30 others on the sprawling Texas military base, remains the deadliest mass shooting ever on a U.S. military installation.
Henricks alleged that Hasan didn't want to deploy after getting his orders about three weeks before the shootings, and that "he came to believe he had a jihad duty to murder to his fellow soldiers." The American-born Muslim later told a doctor at the base that, "`They've got another thing coming if they think they are going to deploy me,'" Henricks said.
But when it came time for him to speak, the 42-year-old Hasan - who is acting as his own attorney - countered prosecutors' detailed portrait of the attack with a simple statement: "The evidence will clearly show that I am the shooter."
In writings and in previous court statements, Hasan indicated he wanted to argue that he carried out the shooting to defend the Taliban from American attacks - but the judge denied that strategy. During his 2-minute opening statement Tuesday, he touched on his religion, saying: "We are imperfect Muslims trying to establish the perfect religion. ... I apologize for any mistakes I made in this endeavor."
His statements highlighted the complexity of the military's case. Hasan wanted to plead guilty to several counts of murder and attempted murder, but military rules prevent guilty pleas in death-penalty cases. Prosecutors are pursuing a death sentence, which are often overturned in military courts.
 
On the day of the attack, Hasan sat among his fellow soldiers preparing to deploy at a building on the sprawling Army base. He had masked the sound of his equipment by stuffing paper towels into the pockets of his cargo pants, Henricks said.
"All those fully loaded magazines do not clink, do not move, do not give him away," the prosecutor told jurors, all military officers, during his opening statement. "He sits among the soldiers he's about to kill with his head down."
Hasan tried to clear the area of civilians, even walking over to a civilian data clerk to tell her she was needed elsewhere in the building because a supervisor was looking for her. The prosecutor said the clerk thought that was odd but went anyway.
"He then yelled `Allahu akbar!' and opened fire on unarmed, unsuspecting and defenseless soldiers," Henricks told the jury, noting that one of the soldiers who was killed had run after Hasan armed with only a chair.
When Hasan left the building, a civilian approached him and asked what was going on. Hasan told him not to worry about it, and the civilian "walks away from the encounter unscathed," the prosecutor said. Hasan allegedly told another civilian it was a training exercise.
Hasan only shot at one civilian who tried to stop him, Henricks said.
Henricks also said Hasan picked the date of the attack - Nov. 5, 2009 - for a specific reason, though he didn't immediately reveal details.
The first witnesses called by prosecutors worked at the gun shop where Hasan purchased his equipment, but Hasan chose not to question them. Dressed in green Army fatigues, Hasan mostly looked down or straight ahead, occasionally leafing through paperwork with his right hand while seated at the defense table.
 Numerous requests have delayed the trial for years, including a fight over Hasan's beard, which violates military regulations. The spat led to a stay shortly before his trial was expected to begin last year and the eventual replacement of the judge.
Hasan dismissed his attorneys earlier this year, and his brief opening statement on Tuesday mirrored his demeanor during jury selection last month when he did not speak often and asked only a few questions about religion.
Over the next several weeks, Hasan is expected to question witnesses and possibly present his own evidence - which will likely turn the trial into a faceoff between the gunman and his victims.
On the witness stand will be many of the more than 30 people who were wounded, plus dozens of others who were inside the post's Soldier Readiness Processing Center. They've also said they saw Hasan shout "Allahu akbar!" - Arabic for "God is great!" - and opened fire on unarmed fellow soldiers.
The government has said that Hasan had sent more than a dozen emails starting in December 2008 to Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical U.S.-born Islamic cleric killed by a drone strike in Yemen in 2011.
Hasan has never denied carrying out the attack, and the facts of the case are mostly settled. But questions abound about how the trial will play out. How will Hasan question his victims? How will victims respond? How will his health hold up?
 
Staff Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford, who was wounded, is expected to testify. He said he looked forward to seeing Hasan, in a way.
"I'm not going to dread anything. That's a sign of fear," Lunsford said. "That man strikes no fear in my heart. He strikes no fear in my family. What he did to me was bad. But the biggest mistake that he made was I survived. So he will see me again."
But Staff Sgt. Shawn Manning said he dreaded the expected confrontation.
"I have to keep my composure and not go after the guy," said Manning, a mental health specialist who was preparing to deploy to Afghanistan with Hasan. "I'm not afraid of him, obviously. He's a paralyzed guy in a wheelchair, but it's sickening that he's still living and breathing."
Meanwhile, Texas Congressman Roger Williams will be at Fort Hood as part of the trial. He has been pushing two bills that would declare the 2009 shooting a terrorist act.
That would give victims and their families rights to treatment, benefits and honors granted in combat zones.
Currently the Pentagon classifies the shooting as "workplace violence."


Video at link.

[MuffyBee]

August 6, 2013 Tweets
https://twitter.com/JadeM_KVUE

Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 10m
Witness list for the day. Sergeant Alonzo Lunsford will testify this afternoon. He was shot 7 times. pic.twitter.com/dqPFfs1LBZ

 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 17m
He also cross examined a man who he attended the Killeen Islamic Center with. Hasan led call to prayer day of shooting. #hasantrial

 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 19m
Hasan cross examined his former boss, who said he had outstanding performance in his last review before the shooting. #hasantrial

 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 1h
Hasan has not cross examined the 5 witnesses who have so far wrapped up testimony. No shooting victims have taken the stand. #hasantrial

 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 1h
A member of the FBI's evidence response team just took the stand. She works out of Austin. #hasantrial

 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 1h
Hasan's neighbor testified. She said he gave her bags of vegetables, clothing and money to clean his apartment b4 the shooting. #hasantrial

 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 2h
First witness is an employee of Guns Galore in Killeen, where Hasan bought his weapons. Testifies he was polite and courteous. #hasantrial

 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 3h
@Tiffj41 @JasonWhitely Yes he made it in the courtroom. They take their phones and laptops away.
 View conversation
 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 3h
Prosecutors said Hasan prayed at his place of worship the morning of the shooting and apologized for any wrongs he had done. #hasantrial

 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 3h
Hasan said he apologized for any mistakes he made in his endeavor as an imperfect Muslim. #hasantrial

 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 3h
Hasan said, "13 us soldiers were killed and many more injured, the evidence will clearly show I am the shooter. " #hasantrial

 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 3h
Hasan gave his own opening statement, less than a minute. #hasantrial

 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 3h
Prosecutors say 1 of the soldiers killed pleaded with Hasan for the life of her unborn child. Say she yelled out, "my baby." #hasantrial

 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 3h
Prosecutor says Hasan had a semi automatic pistol, revolver, and 420 rounds of ammo on November 5, 2009. #hasantrial

 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 4h
Judge says the evidence will be graphic and emotional. Tells courtroom everyone must be quiet, can't shake heads in disapproval. #hasantrial

 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 4h
Ft. Hood is allowing victim witnesses to speak to reporters if they chose to do so after their courtroom testimony. #hasantrial

 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 4h
@bigbobttu Thank you! Going to be some long days : )

 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 5h
Dozens of reporters from around the world here at Ft Hood for Major Nidal Hasan's court martial. pic.twitter.com/3PYttAPsYs
 View photo

[MuffyBee]

August 6, 2013 Tweets
https://twitter.com/ChrisShadrock

Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 14m
Witness list for the day. Sergeant Alonzo Lunsford will testify this afternoon. He was shot 7 times. pic.twitter.com/dqPFfs1LBZ
 Retweeted by Chris Shadrock

 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 21m
He also cross examined a man who he attended the Killeen Islamic Center with. Hasan led call to prayer day of shooting. #hasantrial
 Retweeted by Chris Shadrock

 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 1h
Hasan has not cross examined the 5 witnesses who have so far wrapped up testimony. No shooting victims have taken the stand. #hasantrial
 Retweeted by Chris Shadrock

 JudgeCarter ‏@JudgeCarter 1h
#Hasan's Court Martial begins today. I pray for resolve & that the #FtHood victims recieve the benefits they deserve http://on.fb.me/1b9w35e
 Retweeted by Chris Shadrock

 Chris Shadrock ‏@ChrisShadrock 1h
Witness #1 on the stand #HasanTrial pic.twitter.com/kzw792lnM7
 
 Chris Shadrock ‏@ChrisShadrock 1h
#Hasan did not ask any questions to the first three people on the stand. #HasanTrial
 from Fort Hood, TX

 Chris Shadrock ‏@ChrisShadrock 1h
Witness #3: #hasan told him he'd load magazines during the week, watching TV. Allowed him to spend more practice time shooting #HasanTrial
 from Fort Hood, TX

 Chris Shadrock ‏@ChrisShadrock 2h
15 min recess, witness #3, sales clerk from guns galore spoke of #Hasan's buying of ammo. #HasanTrial
 from Fort Hood, TX

 Chris Shadrock ‏@ChrisShadrock 2h
Witness #3 is on the stand. Hasan didn't cross examine witness's 1&2. Witness's spoke of how #Hasan came to own gun #HasanTrial
 from Fort Hood, TX

 Chris Shadrock ‏@ChrisShadrock 3h
Even told doctors 3 weeks before shooting "they've got another thing coming if they think they'll deploy me" #HasanTrial
 from Fort Hood, TX

 Jade Mingus ‏@JadeM_KVUE 3h
Hasan gave his own opening statement, less than a minute. #hasantrial
 Retweeted by Chris Shadrock

 Chris Shadrock ‏@ChrisShadrock 3h
Giving away personal items to neighbors and and putting paper towels so security wouldn't hear ammo. #HasanTrial
 from Fort Hood, TX

 Chris Shadrock ‏@ChrisShadrock 3h
That includes trips to the gun ranges and buying of precision lasers for guns. #HasanTrial
 from Fort Hood, TX

 Chris Shadrock ‏@ChrisShadrock 3h
Gov spent approx 20 min laying out how #Hasan planned and prepped for shooting on Nov 5. #HasanTrial
 from Fort Hood, TX

 Chris Shadrock ‏@ChrisShadrock 3h
@TVsMichaelOder Exactly, anyone with a big gun and MP on their badge can get me to do anything they say!!

 Chris Shadrock ‏@ChrisShadrock 3h
Sending @JadeM_KVUE's story for @KVUE midday. Then heading into the courtroom. #HasanTrial
 from Fort Hood, TX

 Chris Shadrock ‏@ChrisShadrock 3h
@TVsMichaelOder ran towards a security guard a few months back during a pretrial hearing. Spooked security, now we walk #lessonlearned

 Chris Shadrock ‏@ChrisShadrock 5h
@asunlovingmom no word if @forthood is closing any gates.

 Chris Shadrock ‏@ChrisShadrock 5h
Media not allowed to run, walking at all times. I'm the reason that rule is in place #HasanTrial
 from Fort Hood, TX

 Chris Shadrock ‏@ChrisShadrock 5h
Awaiting a media briefing and the 12 members of the media will be inside the courtroom for day one #HasanTrial
 from Fort Hood, TX

 Chris Shadrock ‏@ChrisShadrock 6h
Day 1 of the #HasanTrial and there is a lot of media here @forthood @kvue pic.twitter.com/QRjVAKYkjo

[MuffyBee]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/08/06/fort-hood-trial-brings-together-attacker-victims/
Unrepentant Fort Hood shooter calls himself 'Mujahideen' at trial
August 6, 2013

The Army psychiatrist behind the shooting rampage at Fort Hood nearly four years ago called himself a "mujahideen" in a short and unrepentant opening statement at his military trial, which will likely feature the bizarre spectacle of him questioning his own victims.

Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who is serving as his own attorney, began his court martial with an opening statement less than two minutes long and didn't bother to cross-examine any of the early witnesses as the military trial began under heavy security at the Texas base.
 
Three witnesses took the stand after opening arguments, including the manager of the store Guns Galore, where Hasan had purchased the Glock 27 model 5.7 handgun used in the attack.

"Almost every trip I can remember was always [for] ammunition and magazines, extensions and at one point an additional laser,"  David Cheadle testified.

Another store employee, Frederick Thomas Brannan, who sold the weapon to Hasan, said he saw the shooter in the store almost every week where he would buy up to 300 rounds of ammo each time.

"The sheer quantity of ammo being shot was expensive,"  Brannan said on the stand adding that  he purchased magazine extensions and and a green laser sight that cost $350.

Hasan declined to cross-examine any of the witnesses until retired Lt. Col Ben Kirk Phillips took the stand and discussed the day he told Hasan he would soon be deployed. On cross-examination, Hasan got Phillips to acknowledge that an officer evaluation report had graded Hasan as "outstanding."

Hasan also cross-examined Pat Sonti, who met Hasan at the Killeen Islamic Center in Fort Hood the morning of the shooting. Santi said Hasan took the microphone at the mosque and called for prayer.

“After call to prayer he bid goodbye and told the congregation he was going home," Sonti said. "I found that odd.”

Hasan asked Sonti to describe the difference between the call for prayer and actual prayer, then asked who is supposed to lead the call.

"Whoever the imam looks at," replied Sonti. "But you know that, sir.".

Earlier, prosecutor Col. Steve Henricks said Hasan hoped to "kill as many soldiers as he could."

Henricks told the military jury Hasan picked the date of the attack for a specific reason, though he did not immediately reveal details.
 
The government has said that Hasan, a U.S.-born Muslim, had sent more than a dozen emails starting in December 2008 to Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical U.S.-born Islamic cleric killed by a drone strike in Yemen in 2011.

John Galligan, Hasan's former lead attorney, said Monday that he still keeps in touch with Hasan but wasn't sure what he would say Tuesday, if anything.

Hasan has indicated recently that he still wants his views to be heard. He has released statements to media outlets about his views on the Islamic legal code known as Sharia and how it conflicts with American democracy.

If he is convicted and sentenced to death, it will most likely be decades before he makes it to the death chamber, if at all. The military has not executed an active-duty soldier since 1961. Five men are on the military death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., but none is close to an execution date.
 

[MuffyBee]

August 6, 2013 Tweets
https://twitter.com/jasonwhitely

Jason Whitely ‏@JasonWhitely 2m
Trial of Maj. Nidal #Hasan resumes at 230p. Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford, massacre survivor, will testify this afternoon. Hasan can cross-examine.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.nbcdfw.com/investigations/VIP-Treatment--Accused-Fort-Hood-Shooter-Gets-Daily-Helicopter-Rides-218145071.html
VIP Treatment: Accused Fort Hood Shooter Gets Daily Helicopter Rides
Father of Fort Hood victim wants prosecutors to add 14th murder charge
August 5, 2013

NBC 5 Investigates has learned the accused Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan receives extraordinary treatment in jail while victims of the attack argue they have been forgotten and mistreated by the U.S. Army.

While a prisoner awaiting trial, Hasan is ferried by helicopter nearly every day, complete with an additional helicopter escort and security detail, for the 20-mile journey between the Bell County Jail and Fort Hood, courtesy of the United States Army and American taxpayers.

The Army told NBC 5 Investigates the daily helicopter rides are necessary because the jail does not have the proper facilities for Hasan to work on his legal defense and transporting Hasan by car creates additional security concerns.  Fort Hood does not have its own jail, so Hasan is being held at the Bell County Jail under a special Army contract.

Inside the Bell County Jail, the Army requires the Bell County Sheriff provide a private guard for Hasan at least 12 hours a day.  He lives in a special room that, using U.S. Army funds, was equipped to specifically accommodate the injuries he suffered after he was shot by officers responding to the attack on the Army post.

Victims of the Fort Hood massacre told NBC 5 Investigates the Army’s efforts to provide for Hasan’s needs do not match the treatment they have received since the shooting.  They feel the Army has gone the extra mile for Hasan but not for them.

Howard Berry said his son, Staff Sgt. Josh Berry, struggled to understand the treatment the Army afforded Hasan compared to those he’s accused of injuring.

Josh Berry ultimately committed suicide on Feb. 13, 2013, after his family said he suffered years of post-traumatic stress caused by the Fort Hood shooting.

“He felt there were more considerations that were being given to the shooter that weren’t being given to the victims and he couldn’t understand,” said Howard Berry, Josh’s father.
Howard Berry said his son was constantly bothered by what he saw as a lack of consideration such as the Army denying victims of the massacre Purple Heart medals and other combat-related benefits while insisting the shooting was not an act of terrorism – a classification Fort Hood shooting victim Logan Burnett strongly disputes.

“The day that came out was the day the government looked at every single one of the victims of the Fort Hood shooting and spit in our faces, literally spit in our faces,” said Burnett.

Burnett, who was shot three times in the attack, also feels the Army has gone to great lengths to accommodate Hasan by allowing him to grow a beard, despite military rules that forbid it.  The courtroom debate over Hasan’s beard, and other trial delays have dragged on the case for more than three years.

Meanwhile, as NBC 5 Investigates first reported, Hasan has received nearly $300,000 in military pay since his arrest.  The Army said it cannot suspend Hasan’s pay unless he’s convicted.  However, the defense department can suspend the pay of civilian employees charged with a serious crime.

After NBC5 Investigates revealed Hasan’s total pay, three U.S. Congressmen introduced a bill that would strip Hasan of his salary and prevent other soldiers charged with serious crimes from continuing to remain on the government payroll.

One of Josh Berry’s friends and former military commanders said Josh constantly talked about the trial delays and the denial of benefits for the victims.

“It weighed on him heavily and affected his ability to cope because he would definitely get obsessive about it.  It was something that was constantly on his mind,” said Greg Majewski, Josh’s former commander.

“I just cannot imagine Josh taking his life if the events at Fort Hood had not happened that day,” said Majewski.  “And whatever coping skills and whatever threads he was holding on to that day were pretty much obliterated for him.

“I can understand why he did what he did. Because our country left a wounded soldier on the battlefield,” said Howard Berry.  “And he felt he wasn’t given the same consideration that our enemies were.  And he didn’t understand.”

Josh Berry Injured in Massacre Awaiting Paperwork to Head Home

Josh had just returned from a tour in Afghanistan and needed to file some final paperwork before he headed home to Ohio.

“He sounded like he had won the lottery.  He sounded like the most incredible, I couldn’t wait to see him,” recounted Howard Berry.

But the next day, 13 people were killed and dozens of others were injured in the mass shooting at the base, including Josh.  Though he was able to dive for cover and only suffered a shoulder injury, the mental wounds were far worse.

“The guy that came home was not the guy I talked to the night before and he was never the same,” said Howard Berry.

Josh had suffered some post-traumatic stress in Afghanistan, and now he had seen a fellow soldier gun people down at an Army base that was supposed to be safe.

The Army eventually sent Josh home to Cincinnati for treatment at a local Veterans Affairs Hospital.  For a while friends and family said he seemed to be getting better, but the scars of Fort Hood were deep. Josh’s relationship with his wife deteriorated and PTSD continued to torment him.  More than two years after the shooting on the Army base, police were called to Josh’s apartment.  In a police report, Josh is quoted as telling officers he had “…a gun under his pillow” and that he was “a war veteran from Fort Hood and needs the gun for protection because he believes he’s in danger.”

“He was in a war zone 24-7. He honestly was,” said Howard Berry. “He was never at peace.  He was never at peace.”

And like many soldiers that suffer from PTSD, despite efforts to help, there would be no recovery.

“My wife called me and she said Josh is dead,” said Howard Berry.


Howard Berry is still waging Josh’s war.  He has written hundreds of letters to Congress, and the president, asking them to pass a law that would give the Fort Hood victims the same benefits as soldiers wounded in attacks overseas.  He has also called Fort Hood prosecutors asking them to file another murder charge in his son’s name against Hasan.

“The number that died shouldn’t be 13, it should be 14.  That’s what I feel. I feel Josh’s name should be added to the list of those on the memorial because that was it.  It just took him three and half years to die,” said Howard Berry.

NBC 5 Investigates contacted the Fort Hood prosecutors.  In a statement, an Army spokesman said, “the prosecution will not comment on the ongoing procedures at this time.  In the interest of due process for Maj. Nidal Hasan, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”

A request by NBC 5 Investigates to interview Lt. Gen. Dana Chipman, who oversees the Army’s law division, was denied. In a recent letter to a congressman, Chipman said the Army is willing to reconsider whether the attack was terrorism if there’s any new evidence that warrants that at a later time.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.nbcdfw.com/investigations/Army-Silent-on-Cost-of-Helicopter-Rides-for-Accused-Fort-Hood-Shooter-218418261.html
Army Silent on Cost of Helicopter Rides for Accused Fort Hood Shooter
Victims of Fort Hood attack feel Army abandoned them while giving accused gunman special consideration
August 5, 2013

Almost every day, two Army helicopters land at the Bell County Jail to pick up the man known as the “inmate of high value."

Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who's accused of gunning down dozens of fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, is that inmate.

The Army helicopters carry Hasan about 20 miles into Fort Hood so he can work on his legal defense.

Since there is no jail at the Army post, Bell County Sheriff Eddy Lange houses Hasan at the Bell County Jail under a special Army contract in a special room the Army equipped to accommodate Hasan’s injuries suffered when he was shot by police officers responding to the attack.

“Every time Mr. Hasan is moved to Fort Hood we incur additional security costs at our facility,” said Lange.

Records obtained by NBC 5 Investigates show the Army pays Bell County roughly $15,000 a month to keep Hasan at their jail.  Lange said the money does not cover the cost of security for the helicopter rides, which now require the sheriff’s department to go on lockdown twice a day to secure the perimeter.

When the choppers land, Lange said he needs to deploy snipers because Hasan is such a security risk.

Lange estimates the helicopter rides cost his department $800 per landing, twice a day, and Bell County taxpayers are footing the bill.

Lange added that the $1,600 figure didn’t include the cost of the flight crew or fuel.

“I don't have any idea what that would be, but it's astronomical,” Lange said. “We are losing money every day he is in our facility.”

NBC 5 Investigates filed a Freedom of Information Act request in February asking for Army records detailing Hasan's transportation expenses, but nearly six months later the Army has not provided the documents and will not say how much the rides cost or answer any questions about the helicopter rides citing security concerns as the reason.

There's no doubt Hasan is a security risk. Law enforcement officials said there have been threats against Hasan as well as threats made by his supporters.   With threats from both sides, it’s easy to wonder why the Army would move him so frequently.

When asked why Hasan is moved so frequently, Lange smiled and said he wasn’t qualified to answer that question.  The Army said the jail doesn't have the right facilities for him to prepare his defense, especially now that he's representing himself.
 
The sheriff and other local police departments said they were happy to do their part when Hasan was arrested, they just never imagined it would go on this long.

“I don't think anybody had any idea this thing would drag out for three and a half years,” said Gene Ellis, Chief of the Belton Police Department.

Belton’s officers help with security, especially when the choppers can't fly and a motorcade brings Hasan through town.

Ellis said the cost to his department has been significant, but the delays are far worse for the victim's families.

“The inconvenience we have is nothing compared to their frustration levels,” Ellis said.
 
Meanwhile, as NBC 5 Investigates first reported, Hasan continues to receive his full Army salary that totals more than $278,000 over the three years since the shooting.

Records show Bell County must provide a private guard for Hasan at least 12 hours a day.

So far, the cost of jailing him totals nearly $600,000, not including the helicopter rides.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/columnists/jacquielynn-floyd/20130805-jacquielynn-floyd-nidal-hasan-delayed-justice-but-he-cant-outrun-it.ece
Jacquielynn Floyd: Nidal Hasan delayed justice, but he can’t outrun it
August 6, 2013

If justice were administered by popular vote, Army Maj. Nidal Hasan would have disappeared into a maximum-security hole a long time ago.
He might already be dead. He might have been executed by now for his undisputed role in the murders of 13 people and the injuries of 32 more in the Fort Hood shooting rampage four years ago.
If regular Joes like me and you got to decide what seems reasonable and fair, Hasan would have been forced a long time ago to shave off his holy-man beard, quit drawing a paycheck from the U.S. government and put a sock in that “soldier for Allah” business.
Judges in his numerous pretrial hearings would have told him to shut his crazy cake hole and enforced the ruling with duct tape.
If it’s as impossible for you as it is for me to find sympathy for this evil man, you may resent that the Army is clearly bending itself into the shape of a pretzel to make sure he gets every right, every legal guarantee, every benefit the law allows.
In Hasan’s case, this includes a daily round-trip helicopter ride between Fort Hood and the Bell County Jail, where he has a cell specially adapted for the partial paralysis he sustained when military police returned fire during the 2009 rampage.
And if we were talking about what’s fair, he certainly wouldn’t get to be the star of his own court-martial, tormenting still-traumatized victims and survivors by acting as his own defense lawyer in a public setting.
Every taxpayer nickel spent on his medical care, legal preparation, stand-by counsel and personal comfort — right down to the pitcher of ice water on the defense table — would have gone instead to the people he attacked without warning or cause.
Justice, in Hasan’s case, has been slow and expensive. And as much as it seems to a lot of people that it’s time and money wasted, there’s a reason for it: Military prosecutors want to win this case. They want a guilty verdict and a death sentence.
 
The trial has been delayed by a change in judges, by Hasan’s repeated requests for delays, by his refusal to shave his beard and by his insistence on representing himself.
It might be exasperatingly prolonged if he tries to make the courtroom a platform for jihadist rhetoric.
The judge has a tightrope mandate to maintain control while making sure he gets the full benefits of his legal rights.
Adherence to those rights, even when it seems absurd and exaggerated, has been meticulous in this case. Prosecutors don’t want even a fingernail’s margin of error that could be used as grounds for a future appeal.
So yes, justice in this case has been slow in coming. But as of Tuesday, it’s here.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/20130805-editorial-keeping-hasans-court-martial-from-becoming-a-circus.ece
Editorial: Keeping Hasan’s court-martial from becoming a circus
August 5, 2013

[MuffyBee]

August 6, 2013 Tweets
https://twitter.com/ChrisShadrock

Chris Shadrock ‏@ChrisShadrock 28m
@forthood PAO giving a statement about this mornings hearings #HasanTrial pic.twitter.com/eOl3Gb9eXa