A jury of 13 high-ranking military officers on Friday convicted Army Maj. Nidal Hasan on all 13 counts of murder and 32 charges of attempted premeditated murder for his 2009 shooting spree at Fort Hood. His conviction is far from a surprise given the former Army psychiatrist had previously admitted that he carried out the attacks and never mounted much of a defense during his trial. The
Associated Press
explains what was really at stake:
The sentencing phase will likely begin with additional testimony from survivors of Hasan's rampage inside an Army medical center. If the jury is unable to unanimously agree on giving the soldier the death penalty, the 42-year-old Hasan would likely spend the rest of his life in prison.