Page 83 - Hasan News Today

Hes capable of doing or saying while cross-examining people who are also suffering from traumatic stress after this and many other things we may never know after that horrifying incident that played out on ft. hood. >> well, the court needs to, as im sure it has, determine the competency of him to go forward as his own lawyer. certainly if he were mentally impaired to the point he couldnt do it, that would create significant due process issues. and there are going to be some testy, painful, and ...

The victims. >> reporter: thats what a lot of victims are not looking forward to at this point. its also not really clear how major hasan is going to conduct himself throughout the rest of this trial. the prosecutor opened up the trial this morning with an hour long opening statement meticulously and painfully detailing the path that major hasan carried out an how he attacked the soldiers in the building where 13 people were killed and more than 30 others wounded. then major hasan stood up and i...

Arraignment and everything ground to a halt over an argument about hassans beard. his lawyers say he grew it out because he believes its a sin to die clean-shaven. prosecutors say it was an attempt to keep witnesses from >> i d.ing him. and later, a judge ordering him forcibly shaved. when the case was back on track, he asked to release his lawyers and represent himself. >> it is very frustrating. >> reporter: for survivors like this one, its about to get worse, because hasan acting as his own a...

To die clean-shaven. prosecutors say it was an attempt to keep witnesses from >> i.d.ing him. and later, a judge ordering him forcibly shaved. when the case was back on track, he asked to release his lawyers and represent himself. >> it is very frustrating. >> reporter: for survivors like this one, its about to get worse, because hasan acting as his own attorney can cross-examine them in court. >> going to be very difficult. it will be painful. >> reporter: but necessary. according to hassans fo...

The person that you were shot by or allegedly shot by. >> thats right, brianna. they believe this is the man who tried to kill them and yet they are going to be subjected to his questions if he, indeed, tries to cross-examine them. because of that, no one really knows what to expect when this hearing gets started in less than an hour, but just because you have the right to defend yourself, it doesnt give you free reign in the court to do whatever you want. theres going to be a lot of pressure on...

At ft. hood in 2009. when prosecutors bring some of them to the stand, hasan, himself, will be doing the cross-examination. >> it is going to be very difficult. it will be painful. >> reporter: survivors have waited four years to tell their story in court. >> all of a sudden, you just hear al act bar somewhere and just pow, pow! just shooting everywhere. >> reporter: retired shoj miold mick engle remembers hasan shooting at him and pulling the trigger. >> hit me the side of the neck and blood we...

Might add, from the nearby bell county jail. all the money is spent for hasan while their wounded victims are struggling to pay their own medical expenses because the shooting was called a workplace violence instead of terror. will the trial have any bearing on that status? >> the money spent on hasan that is something we want to happen. the reason why i say that is because what the government is doing here theyre ensuring that he has everything available to him to put on an adequate defense. so...

Gene, thanks very much for joining us. a lot of us wonder why didnt the military put federal terrorism charges against major hasan? >> well, there may be a technical reason for that, wolf. the uniform code of military justice permits court-martial to try other crimes and offenses. only if theyre non-capital. and dr. hasan would have been subject to a capital charge under the federal -- the terrorist provisions of the federal criminal code. so i think thats the explanation for that. but the real ...

Expecting because we suffer from ptsd or tbi that we are going to be afraid to stand in front of him, but i will share this with you from the heart, we will show no fear in the face of the enemy. we will not allow major hasan or anyone thats following him or anyone that he has followed strike any fear on our beloved citizens of the united states of america. >> cnns ed lavendere is covering this from fort hood. ed, back to hasan and back to this less than two minutes statement, what did he say in...

Attorney. >> reporter: the judges ruled out that defense, so it remains to be seen how hell defend his actions. believe it or not, since the shooting, hasan has earned about $300,000, all courtesy of the same government thats trying to convict and kill him. military prosecutors are pushing for the death penalty, but army officials tell us they have no choice but to keep paying hasan because he is a united states soldier and hes not been convicted. brianna? >> that is so unreal, chris. what happe...