Jury gets instructions in Fort Hood rampage trial
Aug 22, 2013, 2:59 PM
FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) – Jurors hearing the trial of the soldier accused in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting rampage are being given detailed instructions about how to reach a verdict.
Maj. Nidal Hasan is facing 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder for the attack on the Texas military base. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
The judge in the case, Col. Tara Osborn, began issuing the jury instructions on Thursday, ahead of closing arguments. The 13 jurors are all Army officers.
Hasan is acting as his own attorney but has put up virtually no defense. He rested his case without testifying or calling any witnesses and questioned only three of the nearly 90 witnesses called by prosecutors.
It’s unclear if Hasan will give a closing statement.
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