Day: August 8, 2009

Buffalo Beheading Trial: “Man accused of killing wife to get mental examination”

Buffalo News reports:

Man accused of killing wife to get mental examination
Lawyers may seek insanity defense
By Matt Gryta
NEWS STAFF REPORTER
August 08, 2009

“Muzzammil S. ‘Mo’ Hassan, who is accused of beheading his wife, is expected to undergo psychiatric examinations that will determine whether his lawyers will be able to raise insanity issues at his upcoming trial.”

“During a hearing Friday, attorney James P. Harrington told Erie County Judge Thomas P. Franczyk that psychiatric examinations of Hassan, 44, are expected to be completed by mid-September.”

“Hassan, who was born in Pakistan, cofounded Bridges cable TV network, based in Orchard Park.”

“He has been jailed since turning himself into Orchard Park police about an hour after allegedly beheading his estranged wife and business partner, Aasiya Zubair Hassan, 37, in their TV studio on Feb. 12.”

“The week before, the victim had filed for divorce and obtained a court order of protection against Hassan, to keep him away from their Big Tree Road home — the scene of a dozen domestic problem incidents in recent years, according to police.”

“On March 12, an Erie County grand jury indicted Hassan on a single count of second-degree murder.”

“The victim, Hassan’s third wife and mother of the two youngest of his four children, was attacked in the Thorn Avenue office of the Muslim-oriented cable station the two launched about five years ago.”

“The couple’s children currently are living with relatives under court supervision.”

“During Friday’s brief court session, Colleen Curtin Gable, the chief homicide prosecutor in the case, complained to the judge about “repeated demands” of the Erie County District Attorney’s office as to how Harrington plans to defend Hassan.”

“Harrington, without showing his legal hand, told the judge and prosecutor he has been “working through some practical matters” in the case, which have delayed Hassan’s ‘evaluation’ by defense mental health experts.”

“After prosecutors receive the required pretrial notice on the defense strategy, they will be able to arrange for their own mental health professionals to examine the defendant — if insanity-linked issues are part of the defense strategy.”

“After Harrington said he is confident he can provide prosecutors with his defense strategy by mid-September the judge scheduled another session in the for Sept. 18. To give both sides enough time to prepare Franczyk has scheduled a tentative Jan. 19 start of jury selection in the murder trial.”

Nigeria: Boko Haram: How 3 pastors were beheaded eyewitness

Nigeria: Boko Haram: How 3 pastors were beheaded eyewitness
— Daily Sun reports: “One of the victims of last week’s attack by the Yusufiya sect in Borno State has given a shocking account of how the extremists killed three pastors who were captured along with other victims on the second day of the insurgence. The victim was among those held hostage in Yusuf’s enclave.”
— “Speaking exclusively to Daily Sun in Maiduguri, the eye witness who preferred anonymity disclosed that the three pastors were beheaded on the instruction of the sect leader, Mohammed Yusuf shortly after bringing them out of his inner chamber.”
— ” ‘The pastors alongside one Ibo man were asked to change their faith to Islam like they did to other people taken as hostages. I think there was an argument by one of the pastors which gave the others some level of confidence to also resist accepting Islam.’ ”
— ” ‘The Yusufiya men who were armed on that Tuesday afternoon were not comfortable with the pastors and they took one of them to the sect leader in his inner chamber. They came out later to the courtyard within the compound and cut their heads one after the other and thereafter, shouted allah akbar in wild celebration accompanied with several gun shots,’ the eye witness disclosed.”
— “He said the hostages numbering about 50 within the area of the execution of the pastors and another fair complexioned man which he could not identify, were gripped with fear as non could foretell the outcome of their stay at the enclave of the fundamentalists. He was however lucky to escape as he was freed in the night with others with a warning not to mix with kafrici (infidels).”
— “Corroborating the account of the killing, a Senior pastor with Good News Church, Wulari Maiduguri Rev. Baba Gata Ibrahim told Daily Sun in an interview that a pastor in his church, Pastor George Orjih was beheaded on the instruction of the Boko Haram leader because the clergy man refused to accept Islam.”
— ” ‘An eye witness who was also captured by the Islamic militants gave us details of how the pastor was killed. He told us they were persuading him to accept Islam and he said over his dead body. He was even said to have preached Christ to Mohammed Yusuf and that reportedly angered the sect leader who then as he ordered that the pastor and others be killed immediately,’ he disclosed.”