U.S. Fort Hood shooting suspect trial to start in August as scheduled: judge

HOUSTON, June 29 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. military judge ruled on Friday against delaying the trial of a military psychiatrist accused of killing 13 in a 2009 shooting spree at the U.S. Fort Hood Army base.

The murder trial for Nidal Hasan was set for Aug. 20, but his lawyers wanted his court-martial delayed from August until December so that they could have more time to prepare for the trial.

Military judge Gregory Gross decided on Friday to allow Hasan's trial to proceed as scheduled on Aug. 20, the Los Angeles Times reported, quoting a statement released by Fort Hood officials.

The trial had already been postponed from March to June and then August at the request of Hasan's attorneys.

Hasan allegedly opened fire with two handguns on unarmed soldiers who were preparing for deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan at a crowded medical building at Fort Hood, Texas, on Nov. 5, 2009.

The shooting rampage left 13 people dead and more than 30 others injured.

Hasan, who was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot by police the day of the rampage, has been in custody since the shooting.

He has been charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. If convicted, he faces the death penalty.