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

[MuffyBee]

http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2012/09/experts-debate-fort-hood-shootings-terrorism-or-workplace-violence-islamist-extremism/
Experts debate whether Fort Hood shootings were terrorism or ‘workplace violence’
September 15, 2012

Domestic terrorism.

International terrorism.

Workplace violence.

Which phrase best applies to the 2009 Fort Hood massacre?

At a congressional hearing on the subject Friday, Rep. Jeff Duncan compared the Texas shootings to the recent Sikh temple shootings in Wisconsin. Why, the South Carolina Republican inquired, was one referred to as “workplace violence” by some Pentagon officials while the other was almost universally described as terrorism?

When he put this question to a panel of expert witnesses, he received the three different answers.
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[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/Fort-Hood-suspect-appeals-beard-shaving-order-170747986.html
Fort Hood suspect appeals beard shaving order
September 21, 2012

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) -- The Army psychiatrist charged in the deadly 2009 Fort Hood shooting rampage has appealed a military judge's order to have his beard forcibly shaved before his murder trial.

Maj. Nidal Hasan's defense attorneys filed two appeals with the Army Court of Criminal Appeals this week. They say the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act allows Hasan to keep his beard during trial.

Hasan says he grew a beard because his Muslim faith requires it.

The government has until Sept. 28 to file a response. The appeals court has postponed Hasan's murder trial until further notice.

After the court rules, further appeals could be made to the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/texas/officials-fort-hood-shooting-suspect-hospitalized-2466176.html
Officials: Fort Hood shooting suspect hospitalized
September 24, 2012

FORT WORTH, Texas — Military officials say an Army psychiatrist charged in the Fort Hood shooting rampage has been hospitalized for undisclosed reasons.

A Fort Hood new release says Maj. Nidal Hasan is in good condition Monday after being admitted to the Texas Army post's hospital Saturday. It says he should be released within two days.

It says medical privacy laws prevent the release of information about Hasan's health or why he's there.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.chron.com/news/article/Officials-Fort-Hood-suspect-out-of-hospital-3895578.php
Officials: Fort Hood suspect out of hospital
September 26, 2012

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) — An Army psychiatrist charged in the deadly 2009 Fort Hood shooting rampage has been released after a four-day stay in a hospital.

Fort Hood officials say in a news release that Maj. Nidal Hasan was discharged Wednesday from the Texas Army post's hospital and returned to the Bell County Jail in nearby Belton.

Authorities have not said why Hasan was hospitalized but he was listed in good condition after being admitted Saturday.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxxv.com/story/19711888/hasan-hearings-moved-to-washington-dc-area
Hasan Hearings Moved to Washington, D.C. Area
October 2, 2012

FORT HOOD - The Army Court of Criminal Appeals has moved oral arguments on Nidal Hasan's appeals regarding shaving his beard to the Washington, D.C. area.

The next hearing will be at 1 p.m. October 11th, at Ft. Belvoir, Va. just outside the nation's capital.  The proceedings will be open to the public.

Hasan's capital murder trial is being delayed until the court rules on whether he can keep his beard in violation of military court guidelines.  The army psychiatrist claims he should be allowed to keep the beard on religious grounds.
 ::snipping2::

Comments

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/172447671.html
Army Appeals Court Orders Oral Arguments In Hasan Case
October 3, 2012

FORT HOOD (October 3, 2012)—The U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals set oral argument for 1 p.m. Oct. 11 on the various appeals filed by Maj. Nidal M. Hasan over his refusal to appear clean shaven while in uniform at his court martial.

The court is located at Ft. Belvoir, Va., just outside the nation's capital.

The proceedings are open to the public.

The court-martial of accused Fort Hood gunman Hasan is on hold after defense attorneys filed two appeals related to Hasan's beard, which has been a point of contention in pretrial proceedings.
 ::snipping2::
His attorneys filed appeals seeking a ruling on whether the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act allows Hasan to keep the beard.

The first seeks to overturn contempt findings against Hasan in previous hearings and to bar any future contempt proceedings over the beard.

The second seeks a ruling on whether the act allows Hasan to have a beard while in military uniform during his court-martial.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/military/article/Hasan-inches-closer-to-trial-3915428.php
Hasan inches closer to trial
October 3, 2012

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/172447671.html
Accused Fort Hood Gunman's Battle Of The Beard Moves To Appeals Court
October 3, 2012

FORT HOOD (October 3, 2012)—The U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals set oral arguments for 1 p.m. Oct. 11 on the various appeals filed by Maj. Nidal M. Hasan over his refusal to appear clean shaven while in uniform at his court martial.

The court says it also will consider whether the trial judge, Col. Gregory Gross, exceeded his authority and should be removed from Hasan's case.

The court is at Ft. Belvoir, Va., just outside the nation's capital.

The proceedings are open to the public.
More...

[MuffyBee]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/10/11/fort-hood-suspects-beard-case-at-appeals-court/1626381/
Fort Hood suspect's beard case at appeals court
October 11, 2012

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — An Army appeals court will hear arguments Thursday about an issue that has indefinitely postponed the murder trial for the suspect in the worst mass shooting on a U.S. military installation: his beard.
 ::snipping2::
The U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals at Fort Belvoir in Virginia will hear oral arguments. The court also will hear from government attorneys who have said forcibly shaving Hasan would not violate his religious rights, and that the judge has the authority to enforce the Army rule prohibiting beards.

Hasan will not be at the hearing, Fort Hood officials said. It's unclear when the court will make a decision, which could be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
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[Heart]

Court rules Fort Hood massacre suspect must shave beard

An Army appeals court has ruled that the Fort Hood shooting suspect can have his facial hair forcibly shaved off before his murder trial.

The U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals' opinion issued Thursday upheld the military trial judge's decision to order Maj. Nidal Hasan to appear in court clean shaven or be forcibly shaved.

more...  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57535648/court-rules-fort-hood-massacre-suspect-must-shave-beard/

Please include the date of the article.  Edit to add date.  MB  October 18, 2012

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/fort-hood-victims-missing-benefits
Fort Hood victims missing benefits
Want government to declare it a terrorist attack
October 18, 2012

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Many of the wounded soldiers and families of those killed in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting rampage say they lack necessary benefits because the government hasn't declared it a terrorist attack.

A group of about 160 people affected by the shooting on the Texas Army post released a video Thursday expressing their frustration.
More...

[MuffyBee]

Workplace violence?  I think not!  JMHO

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/05/us-usa-crime-fort-hood-idUSBRE8A403Y20121105
Trial delays vex Fort Hood survivors three years after rampage
November 4, 2012

(Reuters) - Survivors of the Fort Hood massacre say they are frustrated that the man accused of the shootings three years ago has yet to face a court martial.

Major Nidal Hasan is accused of opening fire on a group of soldiers who were undergoing medical exams at the Army post in Texas on November 5, 2009, in preparation for their deployment to Iraq. Thirteen people died and 32 others were wounded in the attack.

Hasan was charged immediately with first-degree murder, which could result in a death sentence if he is convicted, but three separate trial dates have passed.

"It's very frustrating. It has not allowed us to have any closure whatsoever," Kimberly Munley, the civilian police officer who shot Hasan and helped end the shooting spree, told Reuters. "A speedy trial is definitely not what has taken place."

The delays began when Hasan, who is now paralyzed from the chest down, fired his civilian attorney and his new counsel received time to question witnesses.

More recently, the trial has been on hold for months while military courts considered whether Hasan, who is a Muslim, should be allowed to have a full beard in the courtroom, a violation of Army grooming regulations.

"I can't think of any other case in the history of the United States Army that has taken this long," said retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Addicott, a professor of terrorism law at St. Mary's University in San Antonio and a former legal adviser to the U.S. Army Special Forces and
 ::snipping2::
"This case is a high-profile case, and the world is watching," Addicott said. "The government is bending over backwards to make sure they are fair in the eyes of the world."

An inquiry by former FBI Director William Webster found that federal investigators had failed to properly investigate ties between Hasan and American-born Islamic cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in 2011 by a U.S. drone strike in Yemen.

Several members of Congress, including U.S. Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, have said the report shows the military was more concerned about "political correctness" and not offending Muslims, than protecting U.S. troops.

The question of whether the attack was terrorism, or, as the Army has labeled it, workplace violence, remains controversial.

Army staff Sergeant Shawn Manning, and others wounded in the attack, have said they are more bothered by the Pentagon's refusal to classify it as terrorism than by the trial delays.
 ::snipping2::
Addicott said it was unlikely Hasan would be executed even if he is convicted and sentenced to death.

"The last time the military executed somebody was in 1961," he said. "If you think the trial system is bad, just wait until you get to the military appellate system. He will die in jail."

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/ap/crime/fort-hood-shooting-victims-sue-government/nSxxk/
Fort Hood shooting victims sue government
November 5, 2012

WASHINGTON — On the third anniversary of the Fort Hood rampage, 148 victims and family members are suing the government and seeking compensation over the attack allegedly carried out by an Army psychiatrist who is awaiting trial.
The shooting at the Army base in Texas killed 13 people and wounded more than two dozen others.
The lawsuit alleging negligence by the government says that the Defense Department is avoiding legal and financial responsibility for the killings by referring to the shootings as "workplace violence" rather than as a terrorist attack.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/editors-pick/Sculptor--177762461.html?google_editors_picks=true
Sculptor creates memorial to Fort Hood victims
November 7, 2012

SALADO, Texas -- Sculptor Troy Kelley spends his days tirelessly working on tributes to the 13 people who died in the mass shooting at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009.
The Vietnam veteran is a world-renowned artist who is using the favorite objects of each of the victims to create a special bronze statue for each person.
"This is a labor of love," said Kelley. "I hope I do them justice."
 ::snipping2::
Right now fundraising is still underway to build a permanent monument to the 13 shooting victims. Join Hands America has raised $150,000 so far, but a total of $500,000 is needed.
The monument will be located at the Killeen Civic and Convention Center. It will consist of a pavilion, a flagpole, and 13 granite columns for each of the victims. Their names, portraits, and a message from each family will be engraved on each one. Kelley's statues will rest on the top of the column.
"They gave their life no different than being in combat as far as I'm concerned," said Kelley.
Video at link.

[KittyMom]

The filmmaker got a year in prison.  Bet this jerk walks.  Workplace violence my azz.

[MuffyBee]

The filmmaker got a year in prison.  Bet this jerk walks.  Workplace violence my azz.

I don't buy it as 'workplace' violence,  not one iota.  Just because it occurred where Hasan worked doesn't mean it was workplace violence. It was on a military base, against U.S. men and women in the armed forces.  And his Allah Akbar as he shot and killed thirteen soldiers and wounded many more was a nice touch, wasn't it?  What was he doing in the glory of Allah's name?  Committing workplace violence?     It was terrorism against the U.S.  Real nice he accepted tuition and living expenses for his college degree, but when it came to deploy as per agreement, he didn't.  Can't have it both ways.  To me, he should be put in front of a firing squad.  Plenty of evidence and reliable witnesses.  We need to give the victims and their families justice and stop cow-towing.  JMHO 

[MuffyBee]

http://wtaq.com/news/articles/2012/dec/04/us-military-court-removes-judge-in-fort-hood-massacre-case/
U.S. military court removes judge in Fort Hood massacre case
December 3, 2012

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - The top U.S. military appellate court on Monday ruled that the judge presiding over the case of an Army major charged with a 2009 massacre at Fort Hood, Texas is not impartial and ordered him removed.

The court also set aside the order by the judge, Colonel Gregory Gross, that accused gunman Major Nidal Hasan be forcibly shaved.

The action by the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces further delays the trial of Hasan, 42, who is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder after he allegedly opened fire on soldiers and support personnel in a room at Fort Hood in November 2009. Thirty-two people were also wounded before two civilian police officers shot Hasan four times, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down.

The court said that Gross has "allowed the proceedings to become a duel of wills between himself and Major Nidal Hasan, rather than an adjudication of the serious offenses with which Hasan is charged."

The appellate court, which is the ultimate decider of matters under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, said a "reasonable ******* might reasonably question the military judge's impartiality," and ruled that Hasan has "shown a clear and indisputable right to removal of the military judge."

After two delays and after his request for a third delay was rejected, Hasan appeared in the courtroom at Fort Hood in June wearing a full beard, which is a violation of Army grooming rules. Gross repeatedly held Hasan in contempt of court, fined him $1,000 on six separate occasions, and removed him from the courtroom. Monday's ruling dismissed the six contempt citations.

Hasan has sought to keep the beard by claiming that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 allowed him to declare his Muslim faith despite Army regulations.

"We need not and do not decide if and how the Religious Freedom Restoration Act might apply to Hasan's beard," the court ruled. "Should the next military judge find it necessary to address Hasan's beard, such issues should be addressed and litigated anew."

In a 10-page ruling, the appeals court said no evidence was presented to show that Hasan's beard was "disruptive to court proceedings" and said Gross may be biased in the case because he was on the post at the time of the shooting.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.theindependent.com/news/national/judge-removed-in-fort-hood-shooting-rampage-case/article_c7d7954c-d073-5bcf-a9ed-37483137a20c.html
Judge removed in Fort Hood shooting rampage case
December 3, 2012

The military's highest court ousted the judge in the Fort Hood shooting case Monday and threw out his order to have the suspect's beard forcibly shaved before his court-martial.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces ruled that Col. Gregory Gross didn't appear impartial while presiding over the case of Maj. Nidal Hasan, who faces the death penalty if convicted in the 2009 shootings on the Texas Army post that killed 13 people and wounded more than two dozen others.
But the court said it was not ruling on whether the judge's order violated Hasan's religious rights. Hasan has argued that his beard is a requirement of his Muslim faith, although facial hair violates Army regulations.
"Should the next military judge find it necessary to address (Hasan's) beard, such issues should be addressed and litigated anew," judges wrote in the ruling.
Hasan appealed after Gross ordered that he must be clean-shaven or be forcibly shaved before his court-martial, a military trial.
The court-martial had been set to begin three months ago, but has been on hold pending the appeals.
It wasn't immediately clear if Army prosecutors would appeal this ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. Prosecutors have said they would not comment about the case until the trial is over, and Fort Hood officials did not immediately return calls Monday or issue a statement.
More...

[MuffyBee]

Interesting.  The newly appointed judge in Nidal Hasan's case is a female.  How's that working for you Nidal?  

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/new-judge-appointed-in-fort-hood-shooting-case/nTM3F/
New judge appointed in Fort Hood shooting case
December 4, 2012

FORT HOOD — The Army’s highest legal branch appointed a new judge to preside over the case of the Fort Hood shooting suspect, indicating the court-martial is on track to move forward after lengthy delays.
Army Col. Tara Osborn was named Tuesday to lead the case of Maj. Nidal Hasan, who faces the death penalty if convicted in the 2009 shootings that killed 13 and wounded more than two dozen at Fort Hood.
 ::snipping2::
The case had been on hold since Hasan appealed Gross’ order a few days before the trial was to start in August. Gross previously delayed Hasan’s trial from March to June and then to August.
An Army spokesman said he didn’t know when Osborn would arrive at Fort Hood. It’s unclear when hearings in the case will resume.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/new-judge-sets-hearing-in-fort-hood-shooting-case/nTTTD/
New judge sets hearing in Fort Hood shooting case
December 12, 2012

The new military judge in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting case has called a scheduling hearing for next Tuesday, the first hearing since a military appeals court removed the original judge, Col. Gregory Gross, for the appearance of bias earlier this month.
But experts say the scheduling order does not necessarily mean the long-delayed court-martial is imminent. Col. Tara Osborn, appointed to the case last week, still needs to rule on the issue that led to Gross’s removal: whether shooting suspect Maj. Nidal Hasan will be allowed to keep his beard.
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