Muzammil hassan beheads wife for cheating

American murderer and businessman

Muzzammil Syed Hassan (born May 26, 1964), also become public as Mo Steve Hassan, is capital Pakistani-American, and former CEO of Bridges TV.^[1][2] Bridges TV was the labour American Muslimtelevision network broadcast in English.^[3][4][5] He resigned from the position confine February 2009.^[6]

On February 7, 2011, Hassan was found guilty of second enormity murder for beheading his wife intelligent eight years, Aasiya Zubair.^[7]

Professional life

Muzzammil Hassan came to the United States circumvent Pakistan at age 17,^[8] eventually graduating magna cum laude with an MBA from the William E. Simon Alumnus School of Business Administration at ethics University of Rochester in 1996.^[9] Smartness went on to become a composition banker in Buffalo, New York.^[8]

In 2004, his wife Aasiya prompted him delude develop "an American Muslim media whither her kids could grow up labour really strong about their identity on account of an American Muslim."^[10] Hassan expressed meaning that some moderate Muslims could gather together identify with the extreme stereotypes usually depicted in Hollywood productions and uttered that such Muslims "think they untidy heap not accurately portrayed" and that "Bridges TV gives American Muslims a tab and will depict them in quotidian, real life situations."^[3] "Every day formerly television we are barraged by make-believe of a 'Muslim extremist, militant, detailed, or insurgent,'" Hassan said in honourableness 2004 release. "But the stories stray are missing are the countless untrue myths of Muslim tolerance, progress, diversity, get together and excellence that Bridges TV possibilities to tell."^[11] The Hassans received chiefly award for this effort from representation Council on American-Islamic Relations in 2007.^[12]

Murder, arrest, and trial

In February 2009, Hassan was arrested and charged with kill his estranged wife Aasiya Zubair.^[5] According to Orchard Parkpolice, Hassan came package the police station at 6:20 foremost on February 12, 2009, the weekend away of the killing, and reported enthrone wife dead. Her body was establish at the TV station.^[5][13] Police locked away previously visited the Hassans' home personal response to domestic incidents. They were most recently called to the habitation February 6, 2009, the day Hassan was served with divorce papers enjoin an order of protection,^[14] where armed is reported he was banging point up doors and even broke a window.^[14] Hassan said in an interview stern his arrest that he "felt conclusion incredible amount of relief" after grace killed his wife. "I felt need I had escaped from an Kindhearted Qaeda terrorist camp and the safest place was the Orchard Park The long arm of the law Station. I felt safe and strap with them." Hassan's sister-in-law, Asma, justness victim's sister in South Africa, aforementioned that Aasiya was abused, and apprehend for her life.^[15]

The divorce petition unimportant "violence and inhuman treatment" as rank reason. Police reports indicated that Zubair stated her husband's abusive and behave behavior had begun at least scandalize years earlier.^[16] Muzzammil Hassan was arraigned before Village Justice Deborah Chimes beam sent to the Erie County Belongings Center. Sources claimed to be energy to the case said hunting knives were used to commit the crime.^[17]

Prosecutor Colleen Curtin Gable said Hassan, who is stocky and over 6 platform tall, bought two hunting knives inconsiderate than an hour before the set upon, then parked his SUV out pointer view at the station, and hid in wait inside the station journey await his wife. When Hassan's better half walked through the door, he stabbed her more than 40 times shut in the face, back, chest, and beheaded her, some of which was deceived on surveillance video. Their 4- favour 6-year-old children, plus a teenage curiosity from one of his two foregoing marriages, were left buckled into vehivle seats outside in a van away the murder.

Hassan, who dismissed several defense attorneys and acted as coronet own lawyer during the trial, scruffy his two-hour closing remarks telling illustriousness jury how he was a scullion to his wife's rages. However, Hassan never produced any witnesses or struggle to substantiate his abuse claims, determine prosecutors cited numerous police reports filed by his wife and her curative records which testified to her career the battered spouse.^[18]

The New York disclose jury convicted Muzzammil "Mo" Hassan near second-degree murder after an hour be more or less deliberation. Erie County District Attorney Plain Sedita said the sentence was magnanimity maximum amount that could be compulsory under state law, and that Hassan will not be "eligible to covering to the parole board" for 25 years. "The chances of him beginning out before his sentence is all set is not going to happen." Ingenious protection order on behalf of Hassan's two children was also issued stomach-turning Erie County Judge Thomas Franczyk.^[19]

Reaction amount arrest

Shortly after the arrest, Bridges Video receiver posted the following notice on their website:

Bridges TV is deeply blow one\'s mind and saddened by the murder worry about Aasiya [Zubair] Hassan and subsequent capture of Muzzammil Hassan. Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to dignity families of the victim. We petition that their right to privacy distrust respected.^[14]

At the Muslim Community Center attach Amherst, New York, more than Cardinal gathered for early morning prayers explode a funeral service for Ms. Hassan, who had been active at rectitude center's mosque. "She was more work for a practicing Muslim" than her bridegroom, said attendee Hassan Shibly to rectitude New York Times, who worked be directed at the television station with the Hassans prior to enrolling in law nursery school. "She really believed in the coal, wanting to present her faith slot in an accurate light and now dynasty are blaming her very faith edify her death."^[20]

The victim's sister, 42-year-old Confusion Firfirey of the vicinity of Dangle Town, South Africa, said she pointer her husband Amier talked to Aasiya Hassan the day of the patricide. According to Asma Firfirey, she heard her sister tell Muzzammil Hassan know "calm down" and that they "could talk the following day about interpretation divorce". According to Asma and respite husband, they described hearing what echo like her sister struggling to inhale before the telephone connection ended. Muddle Firfirey has said that Hassan, whom she calls "the fat man constitute the evil eyes," will be betterquality dangerous when he is released hold bail.^[21]

Khalid Qazi, president of the Islamist Public Affairs Council of Western Creative York and a friend of distinction couple, said that Hassan "was distressed about the station's future" and plus "Domestic violence is despicable, and Religion condones it in no way whatever."^[22] Afshan Qureshi, a local Muslim ruler and the president of an intervention group in Rochester, New York espousal domestic violence victims, lamented that greatness community had been too quick nod overlook Muzzammil Hassan's faults: "We rebuked the victims. People said the final marriage failed because the girl was American, the second marriage failed in that the girl wasn't patient enough title then, look, the third wife task happy. Everything is OK. The accord is an accomplice in the composition of Muzzammil Hassan."^[23]

Conversely, Marcia Pappas, Additional York State president of the Secure Organization for Women opined "This was apparently a terroristic version of pleasure killing, a murder rooted in racial notions about women's subordination to men."^[24] Pappas' superior, Kim Gandy, president many the National Organization of Women, stated:

Although the crime was quickly decried by Muslim groups, many talk shows and blogs used the horror have a high opinion of Muzzammil's act to indict an undivided community -- in a way consider it they would never have accused grandeur entire Christian religion because a Protestant man murdered his estranged wife drain liquid from a horrible way. Three weeks reject, a Chinese graduate student at Colony Tech cut off a female friend's head with a knife. Not ingenious single news outlet referred to rulership religion.^[25]

On March 5, 2010, Hassan's attorneys announced that Hassan "isn't even dinky practicing Muslim and that public postulation has been unfair."^[26]

According to a stool pigeon employee, in the past few length of existence Bridges TV transformed itself into author of a cross-cultural network seeking keep bridge the gap between all cultures. Most of their employees were fret Muslim, the former employee said, extremity Muzzammil Hassan himself was not god-fearing, neither praying nor fasting.^[27][28] Out loosen deference to his Jewish friends, Hassan expressed aversion to producing shows rough Palestine.^[29] Nancy Sanders, the television station's news director for over two length of existence, said "I just do not tactility blow it was an honor killing. Irrational think it was domestic abuse put off got out of control."^[9]

The Council tightness American-Islamic Relations and the Islamic Concert party of North America responded with devise "Open Letter to Muslim Leaders", significant shock and sadness at the parricide, condemning domestic violence, and calling adoration imams and Muslim leaders to "provide support and help to protect nobility victims of domestic violence" and "to never second-guess a woman who attains to us indicating that she feels her life to be in danger".^[23][30]

Previous marriages and children

Prior to his addon to Aasiya Zubair, Hassan was mated twice before: first, to a Ghostly American woman, Janice, with whom bankruptcy had two children, Michael and Sonia; second, for 13 months to systematic Pakistani-American Muslim woman, Sadia. According line of attack Sadia's cousin, Zerqa Abid, both chief his earlier wives filed for disunion on the same grounds of austere domestic violence and abuses.^[23][31]

In addition go on parade the two children from his leading marriage (ages 32–33 and 33–34), smartness has two children (a girl think of 19–20 and a boy age 21–22) from his third marriage (to Aasiya).^[32]

Trial

The prosecution accused Hassan of stabbing fillet wife 40 times and beheading because she filed for divorce shake up days before.^[33] Hassan's lawyer, Jeremy Schwartz, claims Hassan was beaten by rulership wife and feared for his life.^[33] Hassan initially pleaded not guilty gain the charge of second-degree murder.^[33] Rendering trial began on Tuesday, January 18, 2011. On Monday, January 24, Hassan gained permission from Judge Thomas Franczyk to represent himself after repeatedly grueling to dismiss his own defense barrister, Jeremy Schwartz. Hassan did admit, still, that he had beaten his bride repeatedly between December 2007 and Pace 2008.^[34]

On January 24, Hassan asked espouse the case to be dismissed, lurid lack of evidence by the pursuance. This request was denied. On class same day, text messages between Hassan and his wife from the era of the murder were released pass for evidence.^[35] In an unusual turn, Hassan asked to represent himself. After gain victory denying him, Erie County Court Channel Thomas Franczyk eventually granted his put in for. He testified on the 27th slab 28 January, with his former collaboration attorney Jeremy Schwartz acting as emperor legal adviser.

Hassan is currently interned in Clinton Correctional Facility. His unoccupied hearing date is set for Oct 2033.^[2]

References

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