Man Who Thought He Was Killing ‘Werewolf’ Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity

A man who fought and killed a stranger after allegedly mistaking the victim for a werewolf has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Pankaj Bhasin, 34, was accused of killing a man in Old Town Alexandria outside of Washington, D.C., last summer, The Washington Post reports. A jury was deadlocked over the case five months ago after hearing testimony that Bhasin was suffering from delusions at the time of the attack. Bhasin had been diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder by five different doctors. Prosecutors argued Bhasin was intelligent enough to fake symptoms indicating bipolar disorder, but after the Commonwealth ordered its own examination that concluded Bhasin was clinically insane, the attorneys determined it would be unethical to put him on trial again. Bhasin will now receive treatment at Central State Hospital in Petersburg, Virginia.