TORONTO – The self-pitying voice of the Afghan immigrant accused of savagely murdering his wife in an alleged honour killing echoed through the courtroom, as he blamed insomnia and his “brain” for losing control.

But for nearly decapitating his wife of 30 years, Peer Khairi never expressed any regret.

The jury watched as Khairi, then 61, appeared on the video monitors before them, dressed in the white disposable biohazard suit he’d been given following his arrest for murder on March 18, 2008. About 12 hours after being taken into custody, he was brought into a small interview room at 22 Division for a recorded interview with homicide detectives, a Dari interpreter at his side.

But unfortunately for the police and the prosecution, a technical glitch caused the video to cut out only 77 minutes into their three-hours and 20 minutes of questioning.

Still, it is fascinating to watch him even for that short time. Since the trial began, the small, grey-haired man has sat silently in the prisoner’s box, listening intently as an interpreter translates the prosecutors’ case against him: alleging the bitter immigrant, unable to speak English or get a job, finally lashed out after watching with increasing rage as his wife Randjida, 53, and his six children no longer obeyed him, choosing to adopt their new culture rather than respect his authoritarian Muslim ways.

Khairi admits inflicting his wife’s horrific injuries — using one knife to slice right through her neck and another to stab her five times through the chest and back — but is expected to argue that he didn’t have the legal intent to commit murder.

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