Thursday, August 8, 2013
By NOMAAN MERCHANT
Associated Press
and PAUL J. WEBER
Associated Press
FORT HOOD, Texas - A military judge says the soldier on trial for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting rampage can continue to represent himself.
Defense lawyers who have been helping Maj. Nidal Hasan had asked the judge on Wednesday to let them take over the case. They said Hasan appeared to be trying to convince jurors to convict him and sentence him to death.
But the judge sided with Hasan today, saying it's clear the standby attorneys simply disagree with Hasan's defense strategy.
The judge also ordered the attorneys to continue in their role aiding Hasan.
Hasan has said little since the trial began Tuesday. He told jurors he was responsible for the attack that killed 13 people on the Texas military base. He's questioned only two of the dozen witnesses so far.