By Guillermo Contreras
San Antonio Express-News
Fort Hood shooting suspect Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was in the process of being moved out of Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio on March 31, 2010.
“He was given a discharge physical within the past hour,” Hasan’s lawyer, John Galligan, said. “That to me is an indication that they’re going to move him.”
Galligan said the physical was administered apparently as part of the preparations the Army took to hand Hasan over to Bell County authorities, who will house him in a jail near Belton for at least the next six months.
Hasan, an Army psychiatrist at Darnall Medical Center at Fort Hood, has been at BAMC since Nov. 6, a day after he allegedly opened fire on troops and others on the post over his disagreement with being deployed to Afghanistan “to kill fellow Muslims.”
He is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 specifications of attempted premeditated murder.
Wednesday also marked the beginning of the 183-day, $206,796 contract Fort Hood officials signed March 16 with Bell County that provides for around-the-clock guards, special medical equipment and transport to the jail. The contract’s services are through Sept. 30.
Earlier Wednesday, BAMC spokesman Dewey Mitchell said Hasan still remained at the hospital. Mitchell said for security reasons BAMC would not make any statements related to Hasan’s move, nor confirm that Hasan was given a discharge physical.
Also Wednesday, a military hearing officer granted part of Galligan’s request to delay Hasan’s June 1 Article 32 hearing, which is similar to a probable cause or grand jury hearing with witnesses. Instead, there will be a preliminary meeting of the prosecutors and Hasan’s defense team at Fort Hood on June 1, and witnesses probably won’t be called until at least July 1, Galligan said.
Galligan, who filed the motion to postpone the Article 32 hearing this week, also said the hearing officer is open to delaying testimony until October, as requested by Galligan.
Copyright 2010 San Antonio Express-News