Julia Wilson Questions Public Livestream of Fort Hood Shooter Execution

Julia Wilson survived the Fort Hood massacre seventeen years ago, yet she finds herself questioning a new order to livestream Nidal Hasan's execution. The mass shooter will face his firing squad on December 3, 2026, after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the event would be broadcast publicly. Why would anyone want to watch this? Wilson told Fox News Digital that she wishes Hasan could die thirteen times for every life he took. As a victim who wants to attend and look him in the eye, her stance is clear on one point but confused on another.

Hasan, an Army psychiatrist at the time, walked into the soldier readiness center on November 5, 2009, and opened fire. Thirteen people died and thirty-two others were wounded that day on the Texas Army post. A military court-martial found him guilty, leading to a death sentence on August 28, 2013. President Donald Trump approved the execution on October 2, and Hegseth confirmed the public firing squad method soon after.

"I do want to be there," Wilson said regarding her desire to attend. "I want to look him in the eye." She wants to tell him that while she was his victim, she is not anymore. Her child survived too, and so did many others. You did what you did, she noted. Too bad we cannot kill him thirteen times over for the pain he caused.

But Wilson feels shocked that they are going as far as televising it. She fears children might end up seeing this violence without needing to. Seeing her soldiers murdered was the first time she saw anything like that, and she can never wash it out of her mind. I don't know why anybody would want to actually see something like that happen.

Her concerns mirror objections from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Senator Thom Tillis posted to X that while Hasan should face the death penalty, making his execution public and streaming it is beyond disgusting. He argued that public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do, not America. President Trump said he will decide whether to livestream the event, acknowledging he knows what the military would like to do following Hegseth's confirmation. Vice President J.D. Vance also stated he was unsure if the federal government would stream it and added he would not view it personally.

Wilson admitted she has mixed feelings about the execution moving forward. Yes, she is glad justice is served, but no, she does not want to see another human being die. Yet in the same breath, an eye for an eye remains her guiding thought. Wilson was working at Fort Hood's Soldier Readiness Processing Center when Hasan opened fire. She was nine months pregnant and reached her due date that day.

She recalled pulling into the parking lot after a lunch break with her mom before she could shut off her engine. That is when the gunfire started. Before she got out of the vehicle, several things went through her mind regarding fight, flight, or freeze. She kind of had all three reactions at once during that terrifying moment.

A survivor described the nightmare inside the center building after her supervisor told her to seek safety in her car. She waited outside while the chaos unfolded around her. Eventually, a man returned for her. Wilson said she thought she might be safe but realized that was wrong. The scene was absolute destruction when she finally entered. Desks were thrown across the room and blood stained every surface. People worked frantically to help others while fear gripped everyone. A wounded soldier burst through the opposite door with urgent warnings. He told her Hasan was still shooting inside and ordered them to flee immediately. Wilson believes giving death row inmates their sentence will not heal the wounds of this tragedy. She demands the federal government change how they label the attack. Officials called it workplace violence instead of domestic terrorism. Wilson feels betrayed after seventeen years of silence from leadership. They avoided declaring it an act of terror to protect political correctness and legal rights. But what about the rights of her family? What about the victims who lost their lives? She sent a letter to President Trump asking for this crucial reclassification. Healing cannot begin until the situation is fully corrected. Full justice must be served before any real recovery can happen.