Fort Hood prosecution delays frustrate survivors
SANANTONIO— 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 courtmartial.
Maj. Nidal Hasan is accused of opening fire on a group of soldiers who were undergoing medical exams at theArmy post inTexason Nov. 5, 2009, in preparation for deployment to Iraq. Thirteen people died and 32 werewounded.
Hasan was quickly charged with premeditated murder, which could result in a death sentence if he is convicted, but three trial dates have passed.
“It’s very frustrating. It has not allowed us to have any closure whatsoever,” said Kimberly Munley, the civilian police officer who shot Hasan and helped end the shooting spree. “A speedy trial is definitely not what has taken place.”
The delays began when Hasan fired his civilian attorney and his new counsel received additional time to question witnesses.
More recently, the trial has been on hold for months while military courts considered whether Hasan, aMuslim, 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 StatesArmy that has taken this long,” said retired Army Lt. Col. Jeffrey Addicott, a professor of terrorism law at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio and a former legal adviser to the Army Special Forces.
Trials typically move more quickly in military courts than in civilian courts because of tighter rules on the gathering and admission of evidence under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Addicott said.
The question of whether the attack was terrorism or, as the Army has labeled it, workplace violence, remains controversial.
Army Staff Sgt. Shawn Manning and some 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.
“I think the family members deserve that recognition that their son, daughter, husband, did sacrifice their life that day protecting this country,” Manning said.