NJ Man Reportedly Thought He Was Killing 'Werewolf' In VA Death

A New Jersey man who reportedly thought he was killing a werewolf will not be going to jail, according to authorities.

Pankaj Bhasin, a 35-year-old New Jersey resident, was found not guilty by reason of insanity of first-degree murder on Monday. He had been found half-naked and was covered in blood after the slaying.

The defense argued that Bhasin began to show signs of severe mental illness in the weeks and months before the killing, according to NBC4 Washington. His attorneys say he suffered from bipolar disorder and attacked his own family before having a complete breakdown.

He had recently checked out of a psychiatric hospital when he left his New Jersey home and went to Alexandria, according to NBC4. “There was no connection. This was ... completely random ... there was no rhyme. There was no reason. There was no motive,” the defense said in court in March.

Then the attorney also told jurors, according to NBC4, that "Bhasin believed the victim was a werewolf."

The incident happened on the morning of July 13, 2018 when police responded to the 1200 block of King Street in Alexandria, Va. Bhasin, who had just exited from a building housing a business called Window Universe, had his pants down and was covered in blood, according to authorities.

He attempted to enter the car of a stranger, whose occupants quickly left the vehicle and called 911. When the police arrived on the scene, they removed the defendant from the vehicle, according to authorities.

The police proceeded to enter Window Universe, where they discovered the body of Bradford Thomas Jackson, a 65-year-old Alexandria resident. Jackson had suffered numerous stab wounds, according to authorities.

The investigation produced no tangible evidence of a connection between the victim and Bhasin. A trial was held in March 2019 at which the defendant pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, according to authorities.

During the trial, several mental health professionals diagnosed the defendant as suffering from bipolar disorder with “mood-congruent psychotic features.” Two experts testified the defendant met the legal standard of criminal insanity at the time of the offense, according to authorities.

The jury deliberated for three and a half days but was unable to reach a verdict, and a mistrial was declared on March 27, according to authorities.

Virginia authorities engaged in post-trial conversations with members of the jury and learned that a significant majority had voted to find the defendant not guilty by reason of insanity. On April 25, the court appointed an independent psychologist at the Commonwealth’s request to evaluate the defendant’s sanity at the time of the offense.

The psychologist’s report was received by the court in June 2016, and largely paralleled the findings of the defendant’s expert witnesses, according to authorities.

The psychologist concurred in the opinion that the defendant had been criminally insane at the time of the offense.

On Monday, the parties agreed to a finding that the defendant was not guilty by reason of insanity. The court entered an order committing the defendant to a secure facility of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.