Fort Hood Shooting Trial Verdict: Nidal Hasan Guilty on 13 Counts of Murder In 2009 Massacre
The Army Major who admitted to gunning down 13 innocent people at Fort Hood in 2009 was found guilty Friday on 13 counts of murder.
The shooter, Nidal Hasan, was an army psychiatrist who said the shooting was justified because the soldiers he killed were going to fight an "illegal war" in Afghanistan. He could face the death penalty.
CNN reported that the jury deliberated for fewer than seven hours over the course of two days. Hasan is representing himself and will face the jury on Monday in a session that will determine whether he will be executed for his actions.
Prosecutors described Hasan as an American-born Muslim who became very radical in his beliefs in the time leading up to the shootings.
"He did not want to deploy, and he came to believe he had a jihad duty to kill as many soldiers as possible," prosecutor Steven Henricks told the jury.
Hasan leaked documents through his civilian lawyer to The New York Times and Fox News that would seem to be the closest thing to a justification possible. The documents included a mental health evaluation carried out by the military to determine whether Hasan could stand trial.
"I don't think what I did was wrong because it was for the greater cause of helping my muslim brothers," he said according to pages he provided to the New York Times.
A 2010 Pentagon review of the massacre recommended that multiple officers be referred for possible punishment for failing to supervise Hasan properly.
Hasan was promoted to major in May of 2009.