Convicted at murder retrial, pro se defendant says he wants lawyer for penalty phase
On trial for the second time for the murder of his wife and stepdaughter, Khalid Pasha, who defended himself pro se, was convicted Friday by a Florida jury after less than an hour of deliberation.
At his previous trial, it took the jury about 35 minutes longer, the Tampa Bay Times reports. But that verdict was reversed on appeal, because Pasha, now 69, was pressured into allowing an attorney he didn’t want to represent him.
The penalty phase in his current case, to determine whether he will be sentenced to death, is scheduled for Feb. 11. Pasha has decided he wants to be represented there by a qualified private attorney, the newspaper notes.
Additional coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Judge tells pro se murder defendant he’ll get a lawyer if he can’t follow trial rules”
