Judge Enters Not Guilty Plea for Fort Hood Suspect

A military judge has entered a not-guilty plea for the Army psychiatrist charged in the deadly 2009 Fort Hood shooting rampage.

Maj. Nidal Hasan refused to enter a plea Tuesday. The American-born Muslim said he earlier tried to plead guilty after his "Muslim community" told him his actions went against Islamic teachings. But he said he later came to believe his actions weren't wrong because of the war in Afghanistan.

Hasan, 42, faces execution or life without parole if convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the massacre on the Texas Army post.

Under military law, a death penalty case requires a plea of not guilty. Jury selection is set to start July 9, with testimony to start in August.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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