Judge quizzes jurors as Hasan trial nears

[GreenStormCloud]

Last edited Mon Aug 5, 2013, 08:26 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: My San Antonio

FORT HOOD — A Fort Hood judge Monday asked jurors if they had seen media reports since being selected to weigh the fate of an Army psychiatrist charged with killing 13 people and wounding 32 in a rampage here.

SNIP

The hearing was brief, running just under an hour. Col. Tara Osborn, the judge, focused on the jurors' media exposure as well as whether anything had come up since their selection that would preclude them from serving on the panel.

All 13 jurors said no. The Army is not identifying the jurors to prevent anyone from retaliating against them.

There are nine colonels on the panel, three lieutenant colonels and one major. Two are women, one of them African American.

SNIP - More at link.

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Hasan-faces-final-hearing-before-trial-begins-4707097.php

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Major Nidal Hasan, the accused shooter, is representing himself as his own attorney. This promises to be a circus as he is likely to attempt to use the trial as a platform to speak for radical Islam. He yelled, "Allah Akbar" as he began shooting and has been in contact with radical Islamic elements.

One of the many witness against Hasan will be SSgt.Alonao Lunsford Jr. who was shot seven times by Hasan. Thr trial is expected to take about a month. Personally, I think it will go longer, due to the confusion that Hasan will cause by representing himself.

Because he is an officer, his jury must all be officers. Meaning he will be judged by 12 career people, dedicated to the Army. He knows that will all the witnesses and forensic evidence, and a jury like that, that he has no chance at all, so I expect him to use the trial as his own pulpit.

[msanthrope]

1. Hasan will try to disrupt as much as he can. But he's still

getting the death penalty.

[freshwest]

2. Not to be morbid, but how would the military execute him? I've never heard of the services putting

someone to death after being court martialed.

In regular court, it's death by lethal injection, even that is coming under fire. Is this what they're asking for in this case?

I can't picture the military conducting a hanging or a firing squad. He could be serving life in prison.

I think Manning was either not charged with or had charges dismissed that would have led to the death penalty. My gut feeling is they don't want to do that. Or maybe it's a fantasy on my part.

Just asking, since I'm not military and some seem ure that will happen. There appears to be no doubt of his guilt, he even says he did it for his own reasons.

And the witnesses can testify and possibly video exists. I just can't see the military putting him to death, it seems so archaic.

Enlighten me, military and legal types. TIA.

[msanthrope]

3. Lethal injection, to avoid the obvious 8th amendment challenges. nt

[freshwest]

4. The military has updated their regs on this? I've only heard of it historically. Thanks.

[msanthrope]

6. The last one sentenced was directed to be executed by lethal injection by the Secretary of the Army.

I suspect the regulation is broad enough to allow execution method at his discretion.

[freshwest]

8. But that's not happened in half a century, no?

WAIT - the guy who shot his comrades in Kuwait, I think it was - what happened to him?

[GreenStormCloud]

5. The DP would make Hasan happy.

He would think he was dying a martyr for Islam and be assured of 72 virgins. BTW - In Islamic paradise, each of the virgins has her virginity renewed after each deflowering, and a man who is blessed with the 72 virgins has a perpetual erection.

Let him grow old in prison, sitting in his wheelchair. Solitary confinement might be considered.

[freshwest]

7. Yup, keep him busy in a cell by himself. Probably enjoy that, too. What a world it is...

So sorry about those who lost their lives and have been injured by this man. But, he's not been judged to be mentally ill.

Can this really be seen as a political issue, though? Just because he's citing religion or political things like wars, does this mean he gets more attention than someone with a serious condition off their medication?

And going into a previous thread on this, where I posted the Wikipedia page link on him and there were some other articles, the way this guy was acting prior to this, IMHO, should have had him discharged before this happened.

It appears he had a lot of anti-pathy to women or someone, I forget. Could you do me a favor and post details of this?

It hasn't gotten much press in my part of the country. We have had to deal with our typical mass murderers up here. If you can call mass murder typical...