Ibrahim Ali found guilty of killing 13-year-old girl in B.C.
Warning: This story contains graphic details.
A jury has found Ibrahim Ali guilty of killing a 13-year-old girl whose body was found in a Burnaby, B.C., park in 2017.
Friday's decision comes less than 24 hours after the jury began deliberations.
Sobbing and gasps could be heard from the gallery in the packed court room, while Ali, dressed in a navy blue sweat suit, stared straight ahead and showed no emotion as he learned his fate.
Earlier in the day, Ali stood up and tried to address the judge, saying he didn’t kill or sexually assault the girl.
Justice Lance Bernard ignored the pleas, and Ali’s lawyers told him to sit down.
The trial lasted for eight months and Ali's lawyers did not introduce any evidence or call any witnesses, instead arguing that the Crown had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Crown told the court that Ali sexually assaulted the girl before strangling her to death.
Ali was convicted of first-degree murder, a charge that carries an automatic sentence of life in prison with no eligibility for parole for 25 years.
The girl cannot be named due to a publication ban.
When instructing the jury on Thursday, Justice Lance Bernard told members the Crown's case was circumstantial, requiring them to infer as the only reasonable conclusion that Ali forced the girl off a path and into a wooded area in Burnaby's Central Park, where he raped and fatally strangled her in July 2017.
Bernard said Ali's lawyers, meanwhile, argued that semen inside the girl's body that matched Ali's DNA could have been the result of an earlier encounter with an “innocent explanation” and Ali isn't the person who killed her and dumped her body in the park.
Jurors had the option of finding Ali guilty of first-degree murder, guilty of a lesser charge of either second-degree murder or manslaughter, or not guilty.
After it was instructed Thursday, the jury asked the court for clarification on the definitions of the various offences and the distinctions between them.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
With files from The Canadian Press
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.