Accused Murderer May Plead Insanity

Accused murderer Teyseer Zaid Najdawi may enter a not guilty plea by reason of insanity on Friday, according to the case’s prosecutor.

Najdawi, who a grand jury indicted for fatally shooting a friend in Millbrae in 2008, told Judge John Grandsaert on Oct. 14 that he is considering another plea in addition to not guilty.

 “Typically that’s a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity,” said Deputy District Attorney Al Giannini.

Judge Grandsaert continued the case until Friday at 10 a.m.

Najdawi is acting as his own attorney; to both stand trial and represent himself, Giannini said.

The court is also scheduled to hear Najdawi’s motion to dismiss the homicide charge arguing that at the time of the offense he was not legally responsible for the crime, he said. “Basically I was crazy then, but I’m better now,” Giannini said.

Najdawi is accused of shooting his friend multiple times in the head in 2008 as they were driving home from a night of drinking in San Francisco. After allegedly leaving the victim in a car in Burlingame, he fled to Redding, where authorities later apprehended him.

After attacking his cellmate for no apparent reason in county jail, court-appointed doctors deemed Najdawi not competent to stand trial.

Najdawi was committed to the California Department of Mental Health in 2009 and placed at Napa State Hospital where .

The defendant is also requesting more time to prepare for the jury trial, which is scheduled to begin Oct. 31, Halloween.

Giannini said he would challenge that motion because Najdawi will have time to prepare during jury selection and also during mental health evaluations if he enters a dual plea of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity.

“I think the judge is going to give him time to prepare,” he said. “I don’t think that is going to require changing the trial date.”