Haq case timeline of events

2006

July 28: Naveed Afzal Haq barges into the offices of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and opens fire with a handgun, killing employee Pamela Waechter, 58, and wounding five others before surrendering to police.

Aug. 2: King County prosecutors charge Haq with nine felonies, including aggravated first-degree murder, five counts of attempted murder, kidnapping, burglary and malicious harassment, the state's hate-crime law. The prosecutor's office must decide whether to seek the death penalty for the aggravated-murder charge.

Aug. 10: Haq tries to plead guilty during his arraignment, but defense attorney C. Wesley Richards raises concerns about Haq's mental competency. King County Superior Court Judge Michael Trickey continues the arraignment without accepting the pleas.

Aug. 15: Haq pleads not guilty to all of the charges against him.

Dec. 20: King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng announces he will not seek the death penalty against Haq because of his history of mental illness. If convicted of aggravated first-degree murder, Haq faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.

2007

May 30: Haq pleads not guilty by reason of insanity to 11 new charges filed against him in connection with the shootings. He also changes the not-guilty pleas he had previously entered to the nine charges filed against him in 2006, instead pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. The new charges filed against Haq are five additional counts of burglary, five additional counts of malicious harassment and one count of unlawful imprisonment.

2008

March 14: In an unusually large initial pool, nearly 400 prospective jurors jam into a Seattle courtroom for the start of jury selection for Haq's trial.

April 14: Testimony begins with victims recounting the day of the shootings.

May 23: After more than five weeks of testimony, jurors begin deliberations.

Wednesday: Judge Paris Kallas declares a mistrial after jurors say they are hopelessly deadlocked on all but one count.

Seattle Times archives