Atty: Fort Hood suspect may seek insanity defense

[Scurrilous]

Source: Associated Press

<snip>

"An attorney for an Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people during an attack at Fort Hood says his client will likely plead not guilty and may pursue an insanity defense at his military trial.

John Galligan, the Fort Hood-area civilian attorney for Maj. Nidal Hasan, told The Associated Press by phone Monday that the court must consider his client's mental status because the allegations against Hasan contradict his lifestyle and military career.

Hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder in the Nov. 5 shooting. Galligan says military law requires that his client plead not guilty if prosecutors seek the death penalty.

Hasan remains in intensive care at a San Antonio military hospital, where he was taken after being shot during the attack."

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ihGepAkECGoDagETVBMpPb3w7Y3gD9C5J1202

[Barack_America]

1. This was certainly expected. nt

[MissDeeds]

2. Anyone who commits mass murder

could claim insanity. So he now wants to throw himself on the mercy of the US military? :thumbsdown:

[EFerrari]

3. He's still in intensive care? I wonder if he makes it out of there.

What a terrible mess.

[Hepburn]

4. What a surprise....

...not.

[cloudbase]

5. May?????

You can bank it. That's about the only real defense he can offer.

[geomon666]

6. Insanity plea, in Texas?

He might as well just kill himself now.

[kestrel91316]

8. The crime didn't technically occur in TX. It occurred on a federal military

installation, and TX law and procedure is moot.

[Grassy Knoll]

7. Premeditated eliminates insanity, good luck fucko ! n/t

[TorchTheWitch]

10. Not at all

One can be insane and be calculating. There are more than plenty of examples of insane people who have committed atrosities they planned ahead of time. Whether or not they're legally insane at the time of the atrocity depends mostly on whether or not they understood the difference between right and wrong as far was what society and the law considers and the consequences of their actions.

I don't personally believe that Hasan was playing with a full deck, but I do believe he understood what he was planning on doing (and did do) was wrong as far was what society and the law considers and knew the consequences of doing it.

[Lurks Often]

9. Oh Please

Color me shocked.................not! :sarcasm:


Of course, I can't really think of any other defense for Hasan's lawyer to try since the four bullets they took out of him can be directly matched to one or both of the civilian cops pistols which puts him on the scene. Much less the multiple eyewitness accounts and the purchase records of the pistol or pistols Hasan bought.
Barring the insanity plea, with all of the apparent evidence, the case seem pretty much a slam dunk for the prosecutor.

[hayu_lol]

11. The man is religiously insane...

nothing more than a religious zealot. We know what they do.

[Steerpike]

12. Sorry Buddy,

I hope you spend the rest of your life in prison...for your sake.

[LisaL]

13. What other defense has he got?