Army psychiatrist charged with killing 13 people at Fort Hood still on U.S. payroll

May 21, 2013

The Army psychiatrist charged with killing 13 people and wounding 32 others during a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood is still receiving his paycheck, earning more than $278,000 since the incident, Fox News is reporting.

According to the report, Major Nidal Hasan's salary cannot be suspended unless he is convicted of the shootings per the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The rules are different for civilian Department of Defense workers, who could have had their pay suspended after seven days.

Jury selection for Hasan's trial is scheduled to begin May 30. He faces the death penalty or life in prison without parole if convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.

The White House and the Pentagon have maintained the Fort Hood shootings were incidents of workplace violence and not terrorism. Victims in the shooting have been denied the Purple Heart and the Pentagon said labeling Hasan's attack as an act of terror would make it impossible for him to receive a fair trial.

Source: Leada Gore, "Psychiatrist charged with killing 13 people at Fort Hood still on Army's payroll, according to reports," AL.com, May 21, 2013.