Forensic pathologist testifies about injuries suffered by 13-year-old murder victim
Warning: This story contains graphic details some readers may find upsetting.
The forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy on a 13-year-old girl found dead in Burnaby’s Central Park in July 2017 testified in the first-degree murder trial of Ibrahim Ali on Monday.
Dr. Jason Morin told the jury he began by examining the victim's clothing.
“The underwear was abnormally positioned on the body. The left leg wasn’t in the underwear at all, so only the right leg was through the hole in the underwear, and the underwear was positioned upside down,” he said.
After removing her clothing, Morin said he saw tears, lacerations and contusions on the victim’s genitalia, and found sperm inside her body.
In its opening statement, the prosecution said it will prove Ali dragged the girl off a walking trail into the woods and strangled her during a sexual assault. Crown told the jury it will introduce DNA evidence linking Ali to the crime.
While examining the body, Morin described finding evidence of an injury common in strangulation cases.
“They’re called petechial hemorrhages, which is a fancy medical term for a small pinpoint hemorrhage. So, that was on skin of the face, underneath the chin as well as in the eyes,” he said.
The forensic pathologist was asked if he had determined a cause of death during the autopsy. He said the victim died of strangulation, adding “there had been some sort of compression on the neck.”
Last week, a neuropathologist who examined the victim’s brain testified it had markers of being without blood and/or oxygen for up to 10 minutes.
The name of the teen victim cannot be reported because of a publication ban. Ali has pleaded not guilty to killing her.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted in Ontario double homicide: DOJ
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an 'innocent' couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
Ontario school board trustees under fire for $100K religious art purchase on Italy trip
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
A photographer snorkeled for hours to take this picture
Shane Gross, a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist, has won the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Tobacco giants would pay out $32.5 billion to provinces, smokers in proposed deal
Three tobacco giants are proposing to pay close to $25 billion to provinces and territories and more than $4 billion to some 100,000 Quebec smokers and their loved ones as part of a corporate restructuring process triggered by a long-running legal battle.
More Trudeau cabinet ministers not running for re-election, sources say shuffle expected soon
Federal cabinet ministers Filomena Tassi, Carla Qualtrough and Dan Vandal announced Thursday they will not run for re-election. Senior government sources tell CTV News at least one other, Marie-Claude Bibeau, doesn't plan to run again, setting the stage for Justin Trudeau to shuffle his cabinet in the coming weeks.
Robert Pickton's handwritten book seized after his death in hopes of uncovering new evidence
A handwritten book was seized from B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton's prison cell following his death earlier this year, raising hopes of uncovering new evidence in a series of unprosecuted murders.
Former members of One Direction say they're 'completely devastated' by Liam Payne's death
The former members of English boy band One Direction reacted publicly to the sudden death of their bandmate, Liam Payne, for the first time on Thursday, saying in a joint statement that they're 'completely devastated.'
Israel says it has killed top Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar in Gaza
Israeli forces in Gaza killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year's attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel's most wanted man.
Indian government employee charged in foiled murder-for-hire plot in New York City
The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges Thursday against an Indian government employee in connection with a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.