Fort Hood Gunman's Attorney to Seek Psychiatric Evaluation of His Client

The Washington Post is reporting that defense attorney and former military judge John Galligan, who has been hired by the family of the lone suspect in the case of the Fort Hood gunman, will seek a psychiatric evaluation for his client. While the defense attorney did not clarify his reasoning behind taking this measure, speculation will undoubtedly begin to arise about a potential insanity plea in a case where Major Nidal Malik Hasan has been charged with 13 separate charges of premeditated murder.

Galligan shed light on his client's current mental state by stating, "Tears welled up in his eyes when his relative was there. He is still very confused. He's not sitting up and carrying on conversations. His attention span is limited." Members of medical personnel at the military hospital where Hasan is currently receiving treatment revealed on Friday that the alleged Fort Hood gunman may be permanently paralyzed from the waist down as a result of injuries sustained at the very end of his rampage when he was detained.

Hasan's defense attorney labeled mental responsibility as a crucial factor of the pending case and alluded to comments that were made by the former Army psychiatrist's colleagues about suspected mental instability. According to The Washington Post, Galligan is contemplating where to have Hasan evaluated due to suspicions that he has about difficulty he will experience when he attempts to receive impartial results.