By Leyna Krow, Assistant Editor, JTNews
Naveed Haq has received a lifetime prison sentence with no possibility of parole for his July 2006 attack on the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle that left one employee dead and five others severely wounded.
The sentencing took place Jan. 14, a month after a jury found Haq, 34, guilty of all charged brought against him, including counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, malicious harassment, and unlawful imprisonment.
This was the second trial for Haq, who had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity with defense attorneys arguing that Haq, a life-long sufferer of bi-polar disorder, was not in control of his actions at the time of the shooting. This jury saw otherwise. The first trial, in 2008, ended in a mistrial.
Prior to her announcement of Haq’s prison sentence, King County Superior Court judge Paris Kallas heard statements from friends and family of slain Federation employee Pam Waechter, including her daughter Nicole Waechter and Rabbi James Mirel of Temple B’nai Torah who reflected on the loss of a woman who dedicated her life to doing good works in her community.
“As I said in my eulogy, it is not the tragic, horrible way that Pam died, but the extraordinary way that she lived that we will remember her,” Mirel said.
Carol Goldman and Cheryl Stumbo, two of the other women injured by Haq during the shooting also spoke, requesting that Haq receive the maximum sentence for his crimes.
“Mental illness is not an excuse to kill and harm others,” Goldman said. “Life without parole is a just punishment. I’m glad he’ll never be able to cause harm again.”
Haq was given the opportunity to address the judge as well. This was the first time Haq had spoken in court. He had not testified during either of his trials.
Reading from a written statement, Haq said he was sorry for what he had done.
“I pray for forgiveness every day for the death of Pam Waechter,” he said.
He went on to insist that it was a combination of his well-documented mental illness and an ineffective medication regimen that led him to force his way into the Jewish Federation.
“I am not a man filled with hate,” Haq said. “The man at the Jewish Federation was not the real Naveed Haq.”
During the reading of Haq’s sentence, Kallas explained her decision to follow the prosecution’s request for the maximum possible prison time, saying, “Mr. Haq’s mental illness is undisputed. But it does not explain why these events took place. Mr. Haq understood his plan, knew his plan was wrong, but went ahead and did it anyway.”