Man convicted of beheading wife gets 25-years-to-life sentence
BUFFALO (Reuters) - The founder of a Muslim TV network who was convicted of beheading his wife was sentenced on Wednesday to 25 years to life in prison, the maximum penalty under the law for the charge against him.
Muzzammil Hassan, 46, was convicted last month of second- degree murder for the 2009 beheading of his wife Aasiya Zubair. Hassan said only a few words prior to his sentencing in Erie County Court.
"I deeply regret that things came down to what they came down to," he said. "I truly wish there would have been some sort of alternate mechanism."
Hassan and Zubair founded Bridges TV in 2004 as a national network to counter negative stereotypes of Muslims.
Prior to her murder, Zubair sought an order of protection from Hassan and filed for divorce, records said.
According to court records, Hassan tried to lure his wife into their TV studio in Orchard Park, New York, in February 2009. He approached her in a dark hallway from behind and stabbed her more than 40 times with a hunting knife and then cut her head off, the records said.
Throughout his trial, Hassan tried to paint himself as a victim of abuse at the hands of Zubair.
After the sentencing, Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita III told Reuters that the stiff punishment after a jury conviction speaks for itself.
"He was sentenced to the maximum sentence permitted by law and we're obviously pleased with that," he said.
Hassan's attorney, E. Earl Key, could not be reached for comment after the sentencing but did reveal in court that Hassan plans to appeal.
(Reporting by Aman Ali; Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Jerry Norton)
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