El Cajon

A mistrial was declared Friday in the sanity trial of a Jordanian-born El Cajon man convicted of murdering his wife and four other relatives when jurors told the judge they were deadlocked after deliberating seven days.

Superior Court Judge Terry O’Rourke ordered a new sanity trial to begin July 11 for Toufic (Tom) Naddi, 47, who could receive the death penalty if found sane when he committed the June, 1985, slayings.

Jurors, who last month convicted Naddi after only two hours of deliberations, told O’Rourke they were split 11-1 in favor of finding Naddi sane when he shot the sleeping family members.

Jurors had told O’Rourke on Thursday they were deadlocked 11-1, but the judge sent them back for further deliberations when eight said it might help them reach a unanimous decision.

Naddi testified during his guilt-phase trial that he shot the victims, who were staying at his home during one of their periodic visits, because it was God’s will.

Naddi also contended that his father-in-law, who was one of the victims, was maintaining an incestuous affair with his wife and was going to take her and the couple’s two children back to Jordan.

The victims were members of a wealthy family well-known throughout Jordan, and included popular Jordanian actor-comedian Osama Mashimi, 38, the brother-in-law of Naddi’s wife, Aida, 26. Other victims were her parents, Habib Sabbagh, 73, and Lillian Sabbagh, 58; and her brother, Michael Sabbagh, 38.

The jury chosen for Naddi’s sanity retrial will consider only his mental condition at the time of the killings.

If found insane, Naddi would be committed to a state mental hospital indefinitely. If he is found sane, however, the same jury would deliberate on whether Naddi should be executed or be sentenced to life.