Fort Hood suspect’s trial on hold over beard

FORT HOOD, Texas — For the past two months, the military judge presiding over the Fort Hood shooting suspect’s case has said he wants to avoid disruptions in court.

So after Maj. Nidal Hasan showed up wearing a beard for a June pretrial hearing, Col. Gregory Gross banned him from the courtroom until he shaves.

Now Hasan’s facial hair has become a bigger disruption than anyone might have foreseen. All hearings and the murder trial, set to start next week, were put on hold Wednesday. Proceedings will resume after an appeals court rules on Hasan’s objections to being forcibly shaved.

The delay is frustrating for many involved in the case. It’s been almost three years since the shooting rampage left 13 dead and more than two dozen wounded on the Texas Army post.