Brother tells of Haq's insecurity

Naveed Haq could never be described as socially adept, but after he began slipping deeper into mental illness he became obsessed with trying to improve his appearance and win friends, his younger brother testified in court Thursday.

Describing his brother's behavior in the months leading up to the July 28, 2006, shootings at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, Hasan Haq told a jury that Naveed Haq grew a goatee, then shaved it off, saying women didn't like facial hair. He worked out obsessively at a gym, two or three times a day for weeks, then decided women preferred husky men. He tried platform shoes to increase his height and donned a toupee.

But each stage of Naveed Haq's self-improvement effort lasted only a few weeks, "as with all things Naveed," Hasan, 26, testified in his brother's King County Superior Court trial. Naveed Haq was not only uncomfortable with himself, but also with his family's background, Hasan testified.

Naveed, 32, is on trial for forcing his way into the federation offices and fatally shooting employee Pamela Waechter and wounding five other women. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to one count of aggravated first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder and numerous other charges, including malicious harassment — the state's hate-crime law.

If convicted of the murder charge, Naveed faces life in prison without parole.

Hasan described how the brother he used to look up to became increasingly ill in the years after he first left the family's Tri-Cities home for college.

"He changed and very noticeably," said Hasan. "It was becoming very apparent that something was not right."

Hasan said his brother was self-conscious about his South Asian roots. Naveed Haq was ashamed to be Pakistani and once tried to change his name to "Nick."

Naveed flaunted the fact that he ate pork and urged his brother to try a sausage- and meat-laden pizza, said Hasan. He refused to fast during Ramadan, going into the kitchen and eating in front of the whole family while the other members were observing the religious fast.

"He wasn't happy with his ethnicity, his name or his religion. ... He said Islam does not have very good leadership, and he would go on about how they were backward," Hasan testified.

Earlier Thursday, Naveed's mother, Nahida Haq, broke down under questioning by the prosecutor about whether her son's behavior in the period shortly before the shootings was as bizarre as it had been a year earlier when Naveed was hospitalized after he claimed he was "stuck in the '80s."

"He's sick," she exclaimed tearfully after she was asked why she hadn't called her son's psychiatrist before the shooting. "He had a relapse. He has the mental problem. It's obvious."

She called Naveed a "compassionate person" and "a victim of the circumstances." She also testified that she has trouble believing he did the things he's accused of doing during the rampage at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.

Haq's father, Mian Haq, a civil engineer, said Naveed tried a number of religions before becoming baptized as a Christian in 2005.

"He used to make fun of our religion," Mian Haq said. "He said, 'Why can't we be practical?' He was always searching for the right religion. ... He was never satisfied with what he had."

Defense attorneys also called two former friends of Naveed, both of whom said they saw him become angry over seemingly small events.

The defense has claimed that Naveed has a decadelong history of diagnosed mental illness and was legally insane at the time of the shootings.

Prosecutors have argued that Naveed deliberately bought guns, researched Jewish organizations ahead of the rampage and planned the attack with calm premeditation.

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com