Buffalo man accused of beheading wife goes to trial

A trial begins on Monday in the case of a Muslim cable television producer accused of beheading his estranged wife inside a television studio the couple founded to promote cultural understanding

by Neale Gulley

In the two years since Muzzammil Hassan surrendered to police, hours after killing his wife in February 2009, he has claimed spousal abuse justified the slaying.

Jury selection begins on Monday in Erie County Court in Buffalo, where Hassan, 46, is charged with second-degree murder for beheading Aasiya Hassan, who was 37.

The mother of two, who had filed for divorce days earlier, was found stabbed and decapitated at the Bridges TV offices in Orchard Park, a suburb of Buffalo. The couple launched Bridges TV in 2004 with a mission to show Muslims in a positive light.

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