The founder of a Muslim-American television channel has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in the beheading of his wife.
Muzzammil Hassan is charged with one count of second-degree murder for the Feb. 12 death of his wife, Aasiya, at the offices of Bridges TV in the Buffalo suburb of Orchard Park.
The 44-year-old businessman born in Pakistan was ordered held without bail at his arraignment Friday.
Aasiya was stabbed multiple times and decapitated. The president of the National Organization for Women's New York chapter has condemned the death as an honor killing -- a characterization local victim advocacy groups oppose.
The couple launched Bridges TV in 2004, saying they hoped to balance negative portrayals of Muslims.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
