Man accused of murdering B.C. teen pleads not guilty

The man accused of first-degree murder in the 2017 slaying of a 13-year-old in Burnaby, B.C., has entered a plea of not guilty.

The jury trial of Ibrahim Ali began Wednesday in B.C. Supreme Court in downtown Vancouver, nearly six years after the teen's body was found in a popular park.

The victim's name can no longer be published because of a publication ban.

Asked to enter his plea, Ibrahim said, through a translator, that he "did not kill" the girl. He repeated the phrase a second time before confirming his plea of not guilty.

Justice Lance Bernard then gave the 14-person jury its instructions. He told members not to do their own research, watch or read any media reports, or discuss the case with anyone outside of the jury.

He also highlighted that the Crown must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Ali is guilty to convict him of the charge.

“The accused enters these proceedings presumed to be innocent,” Bernard said. “The law requires you to decide if the accused is guilty or not guilty based on a consideration of all the evidence."

Bernard sent the jury home part-way through the day, telling them a matter had to be dealt with without them present.

The 13-year-old was last seen alive on surveillance video from a Tim Hortons just hours before her body was found in Central Park.

Ali was arrested and charged with her murder 14 months later. He was 28 years old at the time of the victim's death and has no previous criminal record.

Police say Ali is a Syrian national who arrived in Canada just a few months before the killing.

Investigators have not revealed what evidence put him on their radar.

However, DNA will likely be a key component.

In the months following the murder, homicide investigators took the unusual step of asking hundreds of men of Middle Eastern descent to voluntarily submit their DNA.

IHIT has described the murder investigation as its largest to date.

The RCMP initially had 2,000 persons of interest, but said Ali did not become a suspect until two weeks before his arrest.

The Crown is expected to give its opening statement on Thursday.