Defense wants Haq retrial delayed until February

Defense attorneys for accused Jewish Federation shooter Naveed Haq told a King County judge this afternoon that they won't be prepared for a second trial until February.

But Superior Court Judge Paris Kallas has said she wants Haq retried this year and urged defense attorneys to press their expert witnesses to testify in October instead.

"Their role is key. I would hate to have an additional six-month delay because of availability. I hope that can be conveyed," Kallas said. She suggested a late-September start for Haq's second trial.

Prosecutors said today that they will be ready to begin selecting another jury in the case in early September, in time to try the case before the winter holidays.

But defense attorney John Carpenter called the proposed schedule "completely unworkable," saying two expert witnesses for Haq were unavailable the entire month of October and that others were unavailable on many dates in November and December.

A trial is expected to take at least eight weeks, including jury selection, attorneys said.

Kallas declared a mistrial in Haq's first trial on June 4 after the jury indicated it was hopelessly deadlocked on 14 of the 15 criminal counts against Haq. After eight days of deliberating, deliberating, jurors were able only to find Haq not guilty of first-degree attempted murder but deadlocked on the lesser charge of second-degree attempted murder in connection with the shooting of Carol Goldman. Haq, 32, is accused of shooting six women, killing one, after he burst into the offices of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle on July 28, 2006. He was charged with one count of aggravated first-degree murder; five counts of attempted first-degree murder; one count of first-degree kidnapping; one count of unlawful imprisonment; one count of first-degree burglary; and six counts of violating the state's hate-crime law.

Haq pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. He was in the courtroom this afternoon in a red jail uniform and conferred with his attorneys.

Prosecutors have said they could modify the charges against Haq but have not yet.

Attorneys on both sides said they have spoken with a few jurors, in confidence, about their deliberations and are planning to order a transcript of the trial — expected to take 10 weeks to produce — to help them prepare for the retrial.

Kallas ordered defense attorneys to contact their experts and get more specific information about whether the witnesses could be present for a trial sometimes this fall. Attorneys will reconvene next Thursday for another status conference.

Natalie Singer: 206-464-2704 or nsinger@seattletimes.com