A former patient at the Clifton T. Perkins state psychiatric hospital who was charged with killing another patient in September is scheduled to stand trial March 21 in Howard County Circuit Court.
El Soudani El Wahhabi is accused of killing Susan Sachs on September 26. After nurses discovered Sachs lying face-down on her bed with a shoelace wrapped around her neck, El-Wahhabi, who lived down the hall, was charged with first-degree murder.
Sachs' death was the first apparent murder in the Jessup facility's 50-year history. The hospital is a state-run psychiatric facility that houses individuals with mental illnesses who have been charged with serious crimes.
El Wahhabi is currently being held without bond at the Howard County detention center. A pre-trial motions hearing is scheduled for Feb. 3.