Man accused of assaulting CT Rep. Maryam Khan to undergo mental health evaluation
The man charged with assaulting State Rep. Maryam Khan outside of a Muslim prayer service in June will undergo a mental health evaluation before returning to court in February, a judge ruled Thursday.
Andrey Desmond appeared in court in Hartford on Thursday. He is facing six felony charges, including attempted sexual assault, strangulation and three counts risk of injury to a child. Khan sat in the courtroom, facing Desmond for the first time since the attack.
The 30-year-old faces up to 56 years in jail, but Khan’s attorney, Aaron Romano, said he believes his defense attorney is taking the first step toward a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.
Man accused of assaulting state Rep. Maryam Khan facing additional charges
Desmond allegedly verbally and physically attacked Khan as she took photos with her three children, her best friend and her sister outside the XL Center in Hartford following an Eid al-Adha prayer service on June 28. The service draws thousands of Muslims and state officials to the arena each year.
Khan has since spoken out about how she thinks the case was mishandled by first responders and investigators and expressed concern about the lack of security at the large-scale event.
Desmond, of New Britain, reportedly made “vulgar and obscene remarks” toward Khan after the service and followed her into the XL Center, then back outside, records show.
He then allegedly put his arm around her neck and tried to kiss her. When Khan pulled away, Desmond slapped her across the face and let go of her neck, causing her to fall to the ground, according to police.
He was detained by bystanders at the intersection of Trumbull Street and Chapel Street North, police said. One of those bystanders, Jason Spencer, has since been charged with assaulting Desmond. Spencer attended the court hearing with Khan on Thursday.
Desmond has been held at Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown since his arrest, according to Department of Correction records.
He will be moved to Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown, according to Romano, where providers will evaluate his mental health to see if he understands the charges against him and the judicial process ahead of him. They will decide if he is competent to stand trial.
“You need to make sure that the person charged understands the basic principles of the courtroom,” Romano said after Thursday’s hearing.
During the hearing, Desmond spoke out of turn to ask the judge if he could read something he had written. He had a piece of paper clutched in his hands. Judge Brian P. Gold did not let him speak and deferred to his attorney.
If Desmond is found incompetent, Romano said, providers at Connecticut Valley Hospital will try to restore his competency or improve his mental state to the point that he can handle moving through the court system.
Romano said that Desmond was under the care of mental health providers in New York at the time of the attack.
Romano alleged that Desmond was supposed to be monitored by several state agencies in New York. He said he believes those charged with monitoring his progress and medication adherence failed him and “obviously led to this attack.”
Khan, a Democrat from Windsor, also pointed toward failures in the mental health care system.
“Our mental health system in this country is very broken and it’s very unfortunate for those that are impacted by the brokenness of our system,” she said.
Khan, who never met Desmondprevious to the incident, said that “it’s been a painful process” for her and for her children who witnessed the assault.
When asked Thursday if she thought she was attacked due to her faith, she said, “I can’t speak to intention.”
Romano said that whether Desmond is found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to the custody of the Psychiatric Security Review Board or found guilty in court, he will likely spend the rest of his life in an environment that is safer for himself and others in the community.
“He’ll be supervised for the rest of his natural life which is the best thing for him and his community,” said Romano.
Khan said she wants to make sure she, her family and her team are “doing our best to make sure no one else is in danger.”
She said she has spoken out about the assault and advocated for her story to be shared because she thinks it is important for people to know what happened to her and what led to it.
Immediately following the alleged assault, Khan spoke publicly, her arm in a sling, about “the lack of security at one of the largest Muslim gatherings on the day of Eid in Hartford.”
She previously said she planned to call on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate how the Hartford Police Department responds to violent crimes after Khan alleged that the department mishandled several aspects of the response to the alleged assault.
She claimed that the official police report lacked key details related to law enforcement and that she had to request her own medical attention and convince first responders that she was injured. She also claimed that police did not accompany her to her car after the on-scene investigation, leaving her to walk multiple city blocks without an escort.
Khan said she was seen at the emergency room twice and treated for a concussion and for a loss of feeling in her right arm and shoulder that she believes is the result of neck pain. She claimed that she only received an ice pack from medics at the scene.
Khan shared events that she described as a “revictimization” from first responders on the day of the assault, which she said led her to call on the DOJ. She declined to comment on an ongoing investigation on Thursday.
As Khan spoke outside Hartford Superior Court on Thursday, she stood between her lawyer and Jason Spencer, a bystander who stepped in to subdue Desmond during the attack and is now facing an assault charge.
Police allege that Spencer kicked Desmond in the face after he was on the ground and had stopped fighting. Romano claimed that is not true. He is scheduled to appear in court next on Jan. 31. He is charged with third-degree assault, records show.
Khan called Spencer a “Good Samaritan” and said she thinks he should be rewarded for his heroic actions, not penalized.
Romano is representing both Khan and Spencer, who is also Muslim. Spencer was near the XL Center withdrawing money from an ATM to donate for the holiday. He chased after Desmond and used his military training to “subdue” him, Romano claimed.
Desmond is schedule to undergo a mental health evaluation and return to court in Hartford on Feb. 1.