FORT HOOD, Texas — The Army psychiatrist charged in the Fort Hood shooting rampage unexpectedly severed ties with his lead attorney Wednesday, eight months before the military trial at which he faces the death penalty.
Maj. Nidal Hasan confirmed during his arraignment that he dropped his civilian attorney, a retired Army colonel who had represented him since the Nov. 5, 2009, attack on the Army post. Hasan, who is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder, said he wanted to be represented by three military attorneys. Two were already on his defense team.
Asked whether his parting with his attorney was voluntary, Hasan told the judge, “Yes, it was.”
John Galligan, the civilian attorney, was not in court. He told The Associated Press just before the hearing that he decided to step down temporarily but stood ready to “resume an active role.” Galligan declined to give a reason for his decision.
Hasan did not enter a plea during the 15-minute arraignment, and it’s unclear when he will. According to military law, he cannot plead guilty because it is a death-penalty case.
Col. Gregory Gross, Fort Hood’s chief circuit judge, set the military trial date for March, which the defense team had requested. Jurors will be brought in from Fort Sill, Okla., according to documents filed in the case.
Hasan, 40, was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot by police the day of the rampage. He remains in the Bell County Jail, which houses defendants for nearby Fort Hood.
