Fort Hood victim's daughter and survivor question plan to livestream Hasan's execution

Plans to livestream the execution of Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan have drawn objections from a victim's daughter and a shooting survivor. Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on December 3, 2026. Pete Hegseth announced that the execution would be available to the public online, but Axios reported that President Donald Trump has expressed doubt about whether the broadcast will happen. [ 1 , 2 , 8 , 9 ]

Keely Cahill Vanacker, whose father Michael Cahill was killed in the shooting, told CNN that livestreaming had nothing to do with justice, according to the New York Post. She said it would turn tragedy into entertainment and would not bring closure to families. Vanacker said her son learned about the planned broadcast from an Instagram video and that its spread through social media would make it difficult to avoid. [ 9 ]

Julia Wilson, a former Defense Department civilian employee who survived the attack, told Fox News she wants Hasan executed and wants to attend so she can look him in the eye. However, she said she was shocked by plans to broadcast his death and questioned why people would want to watch. She feared children could be exposed to violence. [ 2 ]

Newsweek reported differing reactions among Christian leaders. Archbishop Timothy Broglio condemned the proposed livestream on Monday. The outlet said Catholic leaders opposed the broadcast, while Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress argued that making the execution public would reinforce the sanctity of life and offer a moral lesson. [ 7 ]

Hasan, an Army psychiatrist at the time, opened fire at Fort Hood in Texas on November 5, 2009, killing 13 people. He was sentenced to death in 2013. Fox News reported that Trump approved the death sentence on October 2. [ 1 , 2 ]