It was clear from the beginning of the trial at Fort Hood that Army Major Nidal Hasan, the now convicted and sentenced murdering terrorist of the massacre at Fort Hood, wanted to receive the death penalty. Many believe this is because he wants to be a martyr to Islamic extremists across the globe. I believe it is something much more simple - over $3 Million in military pay.
In researching this, it seems there is a little quirk in military justice laws and how officers are paid after they are convicted. In a case like this, the accused is normally given a reduction in pay to E-1 (private in the case of the Army) and sentenced to a bad conduct discharge in connection to the sentence of either life in prison or the death penalty.