Defense attorneys said Hasan wants to plead guilty to 13 counts of premeditated murder, but Army rules prohibit a judge from accepting a guilty plea in a death penalty case. If the death sentence is removed, Hasan's punishment would be life without parole - which he already faces if convicted of the 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the 2009 attack on the Texas Army post.
Defense attorneys argue that Hasan should be spared a possible death sentence because his rights have been violated - including by the former judge who ordered that Hasan's beard be forcibly shaved. Hasan first showed up in court in June with a beard, later saying it was required by his Muslim faith, but facial hair violates Army rules.
Defense attorneys also claim Fort Hood's commanding general was not impartial when he decided in July 2011 that Hasan would face the death penalty, and had been influenced by high-ranking government officials. Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, has not yet entered a plea.
