Murder trial date postponed for fourth time in Burnaby teen Marisa Shen's death

Man accused of murdering his 13-year-old girl in Burnaby's Central Park More than five years before the trial date, it has been postponed again for the fourth time and early next year.

September 2018 Ibrahim Ali's trial, in which he was indicted for the first-degree murder of Marisa Shen in July 2017, will be held on his September 19th in Vancouver. It was scheduled to start on the same day, but has been postponed. Until January 16th next year.

Marisa's family was unable to comment on the long-delayed case, but victims' rights groups said that while the court proceedings may offer some relief, the family's It's important to recognize that it's never easy, said Crime Victims member.

"They wake up in pain, the pain goes on and on, and they are sentenced to life in prison," said Rosanne Wambach, executive her director of the Ontario-based Canadian Crime Victims Foundation. Told.

``So let's do whatever we can to ease their burden. These endless delays will only add to their stress and pain. I think we need a better way to speed up this process.”

A trial date was originally set for September 2020, but the jury The appointment of the member was canceled and the court said the trial would not begin until September 2021.

Date postponed to January 10, 2022 to accommodate various pre-trial applications. However, that trial date was also put on hold and moved to September 19th. This is because Judge Lance Bernard heard the motion in progress in the absence of a jury.

The fifth date is now set for his January 16th next year.

A publication ban on this case is regularly imposed for jury trials and is intended to ensure a fair trial. To protect the rights of suspects, the media is prevented from reporting the details of the application before a judge.

In an email, the B.C. prosecutor's office said it could confirm that Ali's trial had been postponed until January.

A postponement of the trial was necessary to accommodate various pretrial applications that could not be made,” the Public Prosecutor's Office.

"Currently, the trial is scheduled to last three to four months, but the trial period will be affected by the results of the pre-trial application." He said he believed the ban on publication, pointing guns at the reporting of proceedings, would stress families because they often received support when an incident was reported.

has proved to be an additional victim for the bereaved family," she said Monday. "When publication is banned, they are forced to suffer in silence."

1. Trial of man accused of killing Marisa Shen postponed again

2. Ibrahim Ali, 28, charged with first-degree murder of Barnaby teenager Marisa Shen

That's well beyond the month-to-month limit of cases to be heard in the Supreme Court, but it's unclear if the defendant's attorneys will file an application. Stays due to allegations of unreasonable delay.

McLaughlin said he would not comment on the merits of any pending or hypothetical application while the matter is being considered in court.

Marisa was reported missing by her family because she did not return to her home by 11 p.m. July 18, 2017. Early the next morning, the girl's body was found in Central Park.

Ali, who was convicted of a fatal hit-and-run in 2016 and should not be confused with another person of the same name and her birth year, was arrested after an investigation by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team. .

kfraser@postmedia.com

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