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Judge Rejects Fort Hood Shooter’s Defense Strategy

Helene Imperiale |
June 14, 2013 | 4:32 p.m. PDT

Executive Producer

Flickr/Creative Commons
Flickr/Creative Commons
Maj Nidal Hasan used the “defense of others” strategy stating that he killed to protect Taliban leaders in Afghanistan.  

Maj Hasan, clarified his statement by saying that the "leadership of the Taliban in general was in immediate danger from the soldiers, who were about to deploy to Afghanistan.”

The judge Col Tara Osborn stated there was no evidence of "any immediate threat to others" to soldiers on the Army base.  Maj Nidal Hasan, formerly an Army psychiatrist, was not a solider and therefore has no justification for killing soldiers. In addition to the rejection of the defense, Col Osborn stated that Hasan will not be allowed to use the "defense of others" defense.

ALSO SEEFort Hood and the Muslim Community

The Fort Hood shooting took place on November 5, 2009. Maj Nidal Hasan is accused of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others. Many of the soldiers shot were preparing to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan. Maj Nidal Hasan himself was preparing to leave for Afghanistan. He was assigned to help soldiers deal with mental health.

Hasan is representing himself in the trail. If convicted of all 13 counts of murder, Hasan could face the death penalty. He was shot by police during the shooting is now paralyzed from the chest down.



 

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