January 28, 2011 Buffalo, NY Beheading Case: Hassan says he needs more time to testify

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Murder defendant Muzzammil Hassan spent much of Friday telling the jury about events and e-mails that happened years before the beheading murder of his estranged wife.

Hassan spent another day on the witness stand, trying to paint himself as a victim to his wife’s alleged “demanding and hostile” behavior. The only witness Hassan has been able to get to the stand was Amy Kiss, a former classmate from business school in Rochester. She said she never knew of any violence in the marriage of Muzzammil and Aasiya.Hassan’s legal counsel, Jeremy Schwartz, said, “She was honest and she had nothing bad to say about Mr. Hassan.”

Hassan was back on the witness stand for the remainder of the day, explaining what he calls a pattern of violent behavior by his wife, Aasiya. As his legal counsel, Schwartz continues to be seated next to Hassan, as the defendant continuously refers to him for clarification and guidance throughout his lengthy testimony.

“It’s certainly a measured approach and it’s certainly a thorough approach,” said Schwartz.Hassan continues to refer to medical and police records in Aasiya’s name, only to explain his interpretation of some of the abuse she alleged to.Schwartz said, “It’ll become clear why he did what he did later on.

“In one case, she told police that her husband grabbed her and threw her on the bed, and sat on her chest to make her listen. He says she kicked him in the groin and threw a paperweight at him.

Hassan-10_20110128185254_JPG