High Emotions, Little Spectacle At Fort Hood Trial

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) — Maj. Nidal Hasan hasn't made disruptive outbursts while on trial for the worst mass shooting ever on a U.S. military base.

When soldiers point to him as the gunman, he forgoes his right to question them, diffusing expectations of tense exchanges.

For a long-awaited trial that figured to dramatically unfold over months, a swift finish without spectacle now seems more likely.

Military prosecutors on Wednesday were set to continue calling witnesses who have recounted — with vivid and heart-wrenching detail — the shooting massacre at Fort Hood to a jury of 13 high-ranking military officers.

But inside the small military courtroom at the Texas Army post, the atmosphere has been largely muted. The lack of drama has speeded up a trial that may now be finished as early as next week.

NOMAAN MERCHANT,Associated Press
PAUL J. WEBER,Associated Press

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.