<sh>Murder Defendant Claims Insanity
<bt>Jayant Kadian, 21, shouldn't be held responsible for the murder of his mother because he wasn't sane at the time of the crime, according to recent filings by his defense attorney in Fairfax County Circuit Court.
On Aug. 15, Kadian's defense attorney, Peter D. Greenspun, filed a letter stating his intention to "put in issue [Kadian's] sanity at the time of the offense charged," according to the court document. Greenspun plans to present expert testimony in support of the insanity defense.
Kadian's mother, Kiran V. Kadian, suffered 23 slash and stab wounds to her neck and seven additional cuts to other parts of her body, according to Commonwealth's Attorney Robert F. Horan Jr. The murder was committed on March 24 in the kitchen of their Great Falls home on Thompson Ridge Court.
Kadian's mother, 52, was preparing food for her son when she was murdered, according to David Allen, a homicide detective with Fairfax County police.
Kadian's father, Dr. Rajesh Kadian, told 911 dispatchers that his son was suicidal, had psychotic tendencies and suffers from depression, according to search warrants filed in Fairfax County Circuit Court on March 25.
Fairfax County police responded to Dr. Kadian's March 24 phone call around 4:20 p.m. Dr. Kadian told 911 dispatchers that he believed his son might be responsible for the murder.
"Jayant has also shown violent tendencies in the past and has threatened his mother and father with violence," according to the search warrant.
Kadian and his mother were scheduled to meet Kadian's father at a psychiatrist's office the afternoon of the murder, according to the court documents. But when neither his wife nor his son showed up for the appointment or answered their cell phones, Dr. Kadian went home to discover his wife dead on the kitchen floor.
James Madison University police found Kadian, a former student there, in his car on the top floor of an university parking garage the next day.
When Detective Allen arrived in Harrisonburg, he asked Kadian if he knew why he was there.
"Yeah, because I stabbed my mother in the neck," Allen said Kadian told him.
Problems had escalated when Jayant Kadian was arrested for possession of marijuana the Monday before the murder, according to Allen's testimony during the preliminary hearing on June 14. Jayant Kadian thought the purpose of meeting with the psychiatrist was to place him in a 28-day inpatient treatment center, according to Allen, who said Kadian didn't want to go.
Kadian, who turned 21 on Aug. 11, is scheduled for a three-day trial in September.
Ken Moore
<sh>Tysons Corner Play Area
<bt>Tysons Corner Center's 362,000 square-foot expansion wing, to be unveiled this fall, will include a new children’s play area. Designed for kids under the age of 7, the 1,990 square-foot, literacy-themed play area will provide a destination for parents who want a breather while their youngsters crawl, climb and jump. The play area characters include mascot Oliver Owl and his many friends — a sea dragon, turtle, bear, bees, ladybug, butterfly and a giant enchanted reading tree — who are all engaged in the magic of story time.
The brightly colored play area will be located on the third level of the expansion wing between the mall’s new 10-unit food court and the popular family restaurant, T.G.I. Friday’s. Mall elevators are located just a few feet away from the space, where plenty of stroller parking is available.
In conjunction with the opening of the children’s play area, Tysons Corner Center will launch a new Kids Club program, which will include entertainment provided by Tysons’ children’s performer, Mr. Knick Knack, as well as storytimes, prize giveaways and more. Parents who register their children for the free Kids Club membership will receive e-mail updates about upcoming events and activities.
<sh>GFWC Scholarship Offer
<bt>The Great Falls Woman's Club Scholarship Fund has announced the availability of two $1,000 scholarships at George Mason University for the school year 2005-2006. Interested applicants should contact George Mason University directly. The following criteria will be used in awarding the scholarships:
Restricted to a female student 30 years of age or older.
Preference given to a student who demonstrates financial need.
Student must be a resident of Fairfax County.
Must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5.
The winners of the 2004-2005 Scholarships were Lynda Maguire and Margaret Connors.