Judge orders accused Fort Hood shooter to have his beard shaved

[jberryhill]

106. He voluntarily joined the Army and abided by regulations

He is still in the military, and will be judged by a panel of officers.

If he is allowed to keep the beard, he could later claim ineffective assistance of counsel, on the ground that his lawyer advised him to keep the beard, but having the beard was prejudicial to him.

It is not unusual for criminal defendants to ask and receive odd things, and then turn around and claim that they did not receive a fair trial as a consequence of the very thing they themselves asked for or did.

Some defendants use this as a strategy.

Regardless of what this defendant may be planning, he is of exceptional intelligence and knowledge in the area of psychology. That he would use this intelligence and knowledge to engage in some form of manipulation of the process and those in it, does not strike me as unusual at all.

The judge is focused on providing a fair trial and reducing appealable errors.