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Pete Hegseth calls for the first death penalty in military since 1961
SecWar Pete Hegseth is pushing for a punishment the U.S. military hasn’t carried out in decades, tied to one of the most shocking cases in modern US military history.
(DoW photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Aiko Bongolan)
Nidal Hasan killed 14 people, including an unborn baby, in a mass shooting on Fort Hood in 2009. In 2013, Hasan was convicted of the crime and has been incarcerated since his arrest. However, Pete Hegseth thinks that life in prison does not match the gravity of the crime and has called for the death penalty.
In a statement sent to 6 News, Hegseth said, “I am 100 percent committed to ensuring the death penalty is carried out for Nidal Hasan. This savage terrorist deserves the harshest lawful punishment for his 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood. The victims and survivors deserve justice without delays.”
Hasan’s nearly $3 million trial
Because Hasan was stripped of his service member status, he was transported back and forth between Bell County jail and Fort Hood, via helicopter. Army reports show the helicopter rides cost American taxpayers more than $194,000. The Army also spent more than $200,000 for mobile trailers, including one that acted as a private office for Hasan, which was dubbed "Hasan's Hut."
Records also show that more than $1 million was spent on travel for witnesses, jurors, and lawyers. Furthermore, $1 million was spent in expert witness fees, and an additional $90,000 was spent to house the witnesses during the proceedings.
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Shawn Manning, who was shot by Hasan six times, said, "I mean, it's ridiculous. Why the government bent over backwards for Hasan and not do the same for the people, the soldiers that he tried to kill and killed?"
The last person to be executed by the U.S. armed forces was U.S. Army Private John A. Bennett. He was court-martialed by the U.S. military after admitting to the rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl in Austria. He left her near-lifeless body by a river and was executed by hanging in 1961 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
