Follow Newser on Twitter   Friend Newser on Facebook
Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Military Court Less Likely to Sentence KSM to Death

Military hasn't executed anyone in 50 years

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 6, 2011 1:25 PM CDT

(Newser) – Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is dying to be executed. He’s confessed to plotting the 9/11 attacks and a host of other terrorist activity, and said he’d like to be a martyr. But that’s significantly less likely to happen now that he’ll be tried by a military commission, the LA Times reports. Military courts forbid suspects from pleading guilty to capital crimes, and experts say a jury of military officers will be less likely to hand him a death sentence.

The military hasn’t executed anyone in 50 years, while federal courts have executed three people in the last decade. “The federal courts are given to stricter sentences,” says the president of the National Institute of Military Justice. “He would have stood a better chance of getting the death penalty in Manhattan.” Jurors may also pass on a death sentence precisely because Mohammed wants one. “There is a sense of not wanting to satisfy his desire to win adulation for his cause,” says one military law professor.

In this June 5, 2008 courtroom sketch the Sept. 11 attacks co-conspirator suspects attend their arraignment at Camp Justice at the Guantanamo Bay US Naval Base in Cuba.
In this June 5, 2008 courtroom sketch the Sept. 11 attacks co-conspirator suspects attend their arraignment at Camp Justice at the Guantanamo Bay US Naval Base in Cuba.   (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, Pool, File)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
19%
26%
26%
15%
4%
11%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 7 comments
MarkFL
Apr 6, 2011 9:32 PM CDT
Really? All you have to do to not get the death penalty is to want to get the death penalty? Note to anyone that does not want the death penalty... Act like you want the death penalty! The death penalty is retarded and unconstitutional. This is just another reason why it is dumb. No deterrent effect. Kill the wrong people. Crazy expensive. Cruel and unusual. An now, you can trick people into not giving it to you even if you are KSM! BS.
brawne
Apr 6, 2011 8:44 PM CDT
JAG--you gotta love it. My ex prosecuted a guy who smashed his wife's head in with a hammer--she was from Samoa and had really, really thick hair. Saved her life and he pled out in front of the judge and the judge said no--don't believe your story--even though he admitted beating her to shit--and panelled a jury. They found him not guilty. Military justice--it's like military intelligence.
zdaydream
Apr 6, 2011 4:08 PM CDT
That's what the republicans want. Got me why. But KSM will live a long life in federal prison or Gitmo at American expense and health care. Thanx bush. <:-)

 
death penalty • military tribunal • Khalid Sheikh Mohammed • military commissions • Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial

More Newser Stories

Cowardice Wins In Khalid Sheikh Mohammad Trial

9/11 Mastermind Gets Gitmo Military Trial

Death Penalty Trial to Resume for KSM

New Charges Filed Against KSM

Bin Laden: If US Executes KSM, We'll Kill Americans
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   Geek Sugar   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment