The murder trial of El Soundani Elwahhabi, who is accused of killing Susan Sachs 17 months ago at the Clifton T. Perkins state psychiatric hospital in Jessup, is scheduled to begin Monday in Howard County Circuit Court.
Elwahhabi, 51, is facing one count of first-degree murder. He is accused of using a piece of string to strangle Sachs, a 45-year-old fellow inmate, on Sept. 25, 2010. Both lived in the same wing of the mental hospital, had psychiatric disorders and had been convicted of murder.
Elwahhabi has been found competent to stand trial. Prosecutors in his case also have moved successfully to keep him from using a defense that he was not criminally responsible for Sachs' death.
Her death was one of three at the facility in 13 months.
Vitali Davydov, 24, is scheduled to go to trial on July 16 on one count of first-degree murder. He is accused of fatally beating David Rico-Noyola, 22, in the hospital's maximum-security wing on Oct. 21, 2011. Davydov has been found competent to stand trial.
Andre Mayo, 46, is accused of killing Rogelion Mondragon, 40, on Oct. 27. There has not yet been a ruling on whether he is competent.