FORT HOOD, TEXAS, Aug 27: Today could be the last chance for convicted gunman Major Nidal Hasan to tell a jury his version of the November 2009 shooting rampage that killed 13 people and wounded 31 others, many of them unarmed soldiers, at Fort Hood, Texas.
Once family members of the victims finish testifying in the sentencing phase of the court-martial for Hasan, convicted of 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder, he will have an opportunity to address the jury deciding his fate.
Hasan could face execution. The same jury of 13 military officers that convicted him is now considering his punishment.
If he chooses to speak, he will not be questioned nor interrupted by the prosecution, according to military court procedure.
Hasan, 42, who uses a wheelchair after being paralyzed when shot by police upon his arrest, has spoken very little during the trial, objecting less than a handful of times.
The most Hasan has said was in his opening statement on August 6, when he admitted to being the gunman and said he had switched sides in what he considered to be a US war on Islam. Hasan opened fire at the US Army base in central Texas, one of the largest in the nation, just weeks before he was to be deployed to Afghanistan.
On Monday, when a dozen witnesses testified about the impact of the slaughter on their lives, Hasan, who has acted as his own defense lawyer during the court-martial and penalty phase, spoke in a quiet voice, declining to cross examine any of them.
During the trial, Hasan, a psychiatrist, did not call any witnesses on his behalf. Showdowns that had been feared between Hasan and victims of the shooting failed to materialize.
(AGENCIES)
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