Former Army Major Nidal Hasan will face execution by firing squad on December 3, 2026, at Fort Hood, the same military installation where he murdered 13 people in 2009. President Trump approved Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recommendation to proceed with the first military execution in 65 years.
Historic Military Execution Returns
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell notified victims’ families Monday evening that the execution will proceed at Fort Hood, marking the first firing squad execution since World War II. The Army last used this method in France when Private Eddie Slovik faced execution for desertion. The most recent military execution occurred in 1961 when the Army hanged Private John Bennett following his conviction for rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl.
Army regulations grant only the president authority to approve military executions. A 2019 revision removed specific reference to lethal injection, allowing the Army Secretary to designate the method based on recommendations from the provost marshal general. Hasan, now 56 and paralyzed from the chest down after police returned fire during his attack, has remained on death row at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas since his conviction.
Attack Details and Aftermath
On November 5, 2009, Hasan opened fire 146 times at unarmed soldiers preparing to deploy from Fort Hood’s readiness center. Witnesses reported hearing him shout a phrase in Arabic before beginning his rampage. The attack killed 13 people and wounded 32 others. Among the victims was Private Francheska Velez, 21, who was pregnant at the time. Other fallen service members included Captain Russell Seager, 51, Staff Sergeant Justin DeCrow, 32, and Private First Class Kham Xiong, 23.
Hasan had served as an Army psychiatrist for two decades before the massacre. His actions targeted fellow soldiers at a vulnerable moment as they prepared for overseas deployment, making the attack particularly devastating to the military community.
Final Chapter for Victims’ Families
Families of the deceased and survivors received notification before the public announcement and were asked whether they wished to attend the execution. These families have remained connected through shared tragedy over the past 17 years. Many view the scheduled execution as the concluding chapter in a long journey toward justice. The decision to hold the execution at Fort Hood itself carries symbolic weight, bringing closure at the location where the attack occurred.
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