Hassan creates scene during court hearing
It was a dramatic day in court for the Orchard Park man accused of beheading his wife. Muzzamil Hassan was back in court Thursday to find out if expert witnesses will be able to testify that he suffered from battered spouse syndrome. YNN's Kevin Jolly was in court for the hearing.
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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- It was a bizarre pretrial hearing for Muzzamil Hassan, the Orchard Park man accused of killing and decapitating his wife in February 2009.
Following a closed door meeting between Hassan’s lawyers and Judge Thomas Franczyk, Hassan was forcibly dragged into the courtroom by several court guards for his hearing.
That’s when things went from bad to worse.
After learning that Francyzk rejected a motion to have experts testify in trial that Hassan suffered from "abused spouse syndrome," Hassan launched into a tirade against Judge Franczyk and the courts.
Hassan shouted repeatedly, "You don’t want the truth to come out."
Judge Franczyk asked Hassan to calm down.
"It was very upsetting quite frankly. Mo feels that he's been treated unfairly he feels that the Judge’s decision was unfair. He was very upset by the judge’s ruling that we would not be able to have a doctor testify specifically that she evaluated and diagnosed him with battered person syndrome," said Hassan’s attorney Julie Atti Rogers.
Hassan continued to lash out at the court, calling it a "kangaroo court" and "voodoo justice" before the Judge Franczyk ordered him removed from the court.
Hassan’s lawyer Jeremy Schwartz said with or without the expert testimony they stand by their defense, "We will still be able to present the defense that we believe is the proper defense in this case and the one we've been putting forth all along."
Muzzamil Hassan’s lawyers are scheduled to return to court next Friday to present their case to the judge to have that expert testimony admitted into the trial. Jury selection is scheduled to begin on September 8.
The media was not allowed to bring cameras into Thursday’s hearing.