A judge balked when a man eying a plea deal for killing his live-in girlfriend claimed that a Hindu goddess drove him to murder

Scott Shifrel:

"I was possessed by Kali at the time that I killed her," Krisna Soogrim, 38, told astonished Queens Supreme Court Justice Robert Hanophy.

"I'm not going to accept a possession defense," Hanophy said. "I don't think it's recognized under the law.... If he was possessed by a Hindu goddess, that's a question for the jury to decide."

Soogrim, a construction worker from Guyana, was facing up to 25 years to life for killing Juliet Velaidam, 34, in their Hollis home on Feb. 7, 2002.

He was considering a plea under which he would serve 20 years in prison for the murder and for assaulting a police officer when he threw a meat cleaver - but only if he took responsibility for the crimes.

Instead, he blamed Kali, who is usually painted with a fearsome, warlike expression and sometimes is referred to as the goddess of dissolution and destruction.

A guru in the 1939 movie "Gunga Din" famously urged a group of thugs to murder by shouting "Kill for the love of killing. Kill for the love of Kali. Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Soogrim, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, as well as delusional and psychotic illnesses, has claimed Kali came to him in a dream and had sex with him, defense lawyer David Bart said.

"He's a very sick man," Bart said.

Soogrim later took the plea deal, simply saying, "We had a fight, I stabbed her."

This time, he didn't mention Kali.

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