Trial postponed again for murder of 13-year-old girl found dead in B.C. park
The trial of the man accused of the murder of a 13-year-old girl in Burnaby, B.C., more than five years ago will not start until 2023.
Marissa Shen was last seen alive on July 18, 2017, at a Tim Hortons in the Metro Vancouver city. Five hours later, her body was found in Burnaby's Central Park.
Ibrahim Ali was arrested more than a year later and charged with first-degree murder. A trial date had been set for September.
Ali's trial is now scheduled to begin on Jan. 16 of next year, the B.C. Prosecution Service confirmed Monday.
"Adjournments of the trial have been necessary to accommodate various pre-trial applications which cannot be reported upon due to publication bans," spokesperson Dan McLaughlin wrote in an email.
"Although the trial is currently expected to run for three to four months the length of the trial will be impacted by the results of the pre-trial applications."
B.C.'s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has described the case as the biggest it has worked on in its history.
The RCMP initially had 2,000 persons of interest but said Ali did not become a suspect until two weeks before his arrest.
Police have not revealed what evidence put him on their radar.
Ali, a Syrian national who arrived in Canada just a few months before the killing, was 28 years old at the time of Shen's death. He has been in custody since his 2018 arrest.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.