Fort Hood Killer Nidal Hasan Sentenced to Death, He Will 'Never be a Martyr' According to Prosecution

After a swift and bizarre trial Maj. Nidal Hasan was sentenced to death for murdering 13 people and injuring over 30 others in a mass shooting that took place at Fort Hood in 2009, according to the Associated Press.

Many believe that Hasan, who represented himself in the trial, got exactly what he wanted when the jury determined that he would be executed by lethal injection. Hasan, an American-born Muslim, spoke about how he wished to become a martyr for the shooting which he claimed was done to protect the lives of Taliban leaders.

Col. Mike Mulligan, the leading prosecutor in the case, told the jury that Hasan will "never be a martyr" during his closing statement, according to the Associated Press.

"He is a criminal. He is a cold-blooded murderer," Mulligan said. "This is not his gift to God. This is his debt to society. This is the cost of his murderous rampage."

The sentence given to Hasan opens the door for him to become the first U.S. soldier to be executed since the sixties. His execution date won't be any time in the near future though; the military justice system mandates a number of required appeals prior to execution, according to the Associated Press.

In the shooting Hasan was paralyzed from the waist down and is now confined to a wheelchair. Since he wanted to represent himself his physical ability to do so was one of many reasons that the trial was delayed for over four years. At one point the trial was delayed over an argument as to whether or not Hasan would be forced to shave his beard since it is against military regulations.

Once the trial was finally underway it went very quickly. In his brief opening statement, one of the few that he would make throughout the trial, Hasan admitted to being the shooter. For the vast majority of the 89 witnesses called by the prosecution during the case Hasan declined cross-examination and he called no witnesses of his own.

Since Hasan was representing himself the court appointed three attorneys to assist him with any legal questions he may have had throughout the case. At one point the attorneys asked if they could be excused, a motion that was denied by Judge Col. Tara Osborn, because it was their belief that Hasan was deliberately trying to lose the case in order to receive the death penalty.