Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, said on social media that the military has chosen execution by firing squad for Nidal Hasan, the man found guilty of murdering 13 people and injuring more than 30 at Fort Hood in 2013. The decision was recommended by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and approved by President Trump.
The writer Parnell wrote these words: “The Secretary of the Army will set the time and place of the execution. Judgement day for Hasan has finally come.”.
If carried out, Hasan’s execution would mark the military’s first execution of an American service member in decades. It would also mark a rare use of a firing squad; the method was used in South Carolina three times last year, marking the first firing squad executions since 2010.
The Trial That Put Him Behind Bars
A former Army Maj. and former Army psychiatrist named Hasan admitted during his trial that he was responsible for the shooting. He told the court that he had fired upon fellow service members in what he described as an effort to shield Islamic insurgents from U.S. military forces. Hasan was found guilty in a 2013 court-martial.
The man received a death sentence. CBS News has asked Hasan’s lawyer for a statement.
Self-Representation at Trial
At trial, Hasan opted to represent himself. The standby attorneys appointed by the court expressed concern that he was deliberately trying to secure a death sentence.
During the long appeals process, the disagreement between Hasan and his legal representatives attracted considerable notice.
The Rejected Supreme Court Appeal
Hasan requested the Supreme Court to examine his case in 2024, contending the judge breached his right to a public trial by dismissing spectators from the courtroom prior to deliberating certain matters with the attorneys. The high court chose not to address the matter last year.
A Rare Choice of Method
For civilian death penalty cases, the federal government usually relies on lethal injection. But earlier this year, the Justice Department said federal officials should look at other methods, including firing squads, electrocution and lethal gas.
The United States rarely puts people to death by firing squad. The last time it happened was in South Carolina, where three such deaths occurred last year. Prior to that, the nation had not resorted to this method since 2010.
The Road Ahead
Until the Secretary of the Army sets the date and location for the execution, Hasan stays on death row.
The choice came from the very top of both the Pentagon and the White House.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs the military’s decision to use firing squad execution for Nidal Hasan, as long as it comes from fair process, and is against any agency or office writing its own authority in approving such punishment. The decision came from the Pentagon and the White House, which is how it should be.
The firing squad method marks a break from the usual way of carrying out a death sentence, and the paper supports the military’s choice of it, as long as the process behind it remains open and fair. The case has been through a trial where Hasan represented himself and a court-martial verdict, and the Supreme Court denied his appeal. The paper wants the process to continue without further interference from any office writing its own rules.
The reader should watch for any sign that the decision rests on anything other than fair process.
Key Facts Box
- Convicted in a 2013 court-martial
- Sentenced to death
- Last military execution of an American service member: 1961, when a soldier was hanged
- Last firing squad executions in the U.S.: three in South Carolina, last year
- Hasan’s appeal to the Supreme Court declined last year
What Comes Next
At the Pentagon and the White House, the choice was made by those who sit at the very top. The highest court in the land has refused to become involved.
Hasan’s case has dragged on for years. His self-representation at trial raised questions about his motives. His attorneys’ worries about his intentions were never answered.
The method of execution by firing squad adds an additional layer of spectacle to a case that has already drawn national attention.
The Justice Department’s recent guidance indicates the federal government is already weighing options beyond lethal injection, pointing toward a possible rise in the use of firing squads across the nation.
For now, the Pentagon has spoken.
The military, the legal system, and the families of the victims remain under a cloud until the Secretary of the Army chooses both a date and a location.
Source material: “Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan to be executed by firing squad, Pentagon says,” CBS News.
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