Authorities in Virginia say a man facing criminal charges related to a stabbing last year reportedly told investigators that he believed the victim was a werewolf.
According to WTTG, 34-year-old Pankaj Bhasin is accused of stabbing 65-year-old Brad Jackson 53 times in a rampage on July 13 at a business in Alexandria.
Authorities found the victim inside the building and arrested Bhasin. Earlier this week, his lawyers argued against a murder count in favor of lesser voluntary-manslaughter charges, citing alleged mental deficiencies reducing his culpability.
Specifically, defense attorneys say he believed Jackson, who owned the business where the stabbing took place, was a werewolf.
They also argue he has exhibited signs of bipolar disorder and had previously attacked relatives, as reported by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
A judge, along with some others who heard the defense, was not convinced and dismissed a motion presented to . One of Jackson’s friends expressed incredulity upon hearing Bhasin’s story.
“That is just unbelievable to me,” Bennett Moore said. “I can’t even fathom that. That sounds like a completely bogus defense.”
He said the brutality evident in his friend’s homicide was “off the charts,” explaining that he doesn’t believe Bhasin will be successful in arguing the werewolf narrative.
“That doesn’t hold water to me,” Moore said.
[Featured image: Pankaj Bhasin, Alexandria Police Department]
