A woman whose brother was murdered in the Fort Hood mass shooting has shared her disbelief that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to livestream the killer’s execution by firing squad.
Leila Hunt Willingham’s brother, Army Spc. Jason Dean “J.D.” Hunt, was killed by former Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan in November 2009 when he opened fire at the Texas base, killing 13 people and wounding 32.
Willingham told CBS News how she recalled thinking, “He can’t be serious,” when Hegseth announced that Hasan’s execution would be made public via the livestream, scheduled for December 3.
Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson have publicly signaled that they are not on board with the plans, while President Donald Trump has reportedly voiced his reservations behind closed doors after Hegseth sparked global uproar.
“Within all the families, there are different views between viewing it or not,” Willingham said. “But I've talked to most of them, and we all agree this is something that should be private.”
Willingham’s late brother, who died aged 22, was hailed a hero after he and two other soldiers protected civilian nurses who were hiding underneath a desk during the shooting.
Hasan, who held the rank of major, was partially paralyzed after police shot him during his arrest. He was convicted by a military jury of 45 counts of murder and sentenced to death in 2013.
Willingham told CBS News that Hasan’s execution is “becoming a circus again,” and expressed skepticism of Hegseth.
“I don't even know if he knows what this man looks like,” she said. “He's an old man in a wheelchair.”
Speaking in 2011, Willingham said that “no matter what happens to Hasan, my brother is still dead.”
“People think the default is always anger and revenge,” she told the Associated Press at the time. “No one seems to understand that the outcome of this will not bring any more peace or closure than what I can get on my own.”
A survivor of the massacre, Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford, said he supported Hasan’s execution by firing squad but “has an issue” with children and young people viewing it.
“The young minds are not in a position to process seeing a horrific act or the back end of being a murderer the way that Hasan was and what he did for him to pay for his crime,” he told NewsNation. “It’s not for everybody’s eyes. It’s not a thing where we’re going to have a tailgate.”
Hegseth announced his plan to livestream the execution in an interview with right-wing activist Jack Posobiec last week.
“He’s gonna get a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be,” Hegseth said. “We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public, because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things.”
Meanwhile, Trump has privately said that the public broadcast “might not happen,” an unnamed ally told Axios. “He didn't sound particularly enthusiastic…That's why he's calling around, doing the Trump thing, asking people what they think.”
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