Lawyers for Ibrahim Ali have told the jury in his first-degree murder trial they will not be calling any evidence in defence of allegations he sexually assaulted and killed a 13-year-old girl in Burnaby, B.C. Media wait outside B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver, B.C., June 2, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
VANCOUVER – Ibrahim Ali’s lawyers have told the jury in his first-degree murder trial they will not be calling any evidence in defence of allegations he sexually assaulted and killed a 13-year-old girl in Burnaby, B.C.
Defence lawyer Kevin McCullough told the jury that the Crown hasn’t met the burden of proof to find Ali guilty.
Justice Lance Bernard told the jury that closing arguments from both Crown and defence are expected to begin in about a week.
Ali has pleaded not guilty to murdering the teenager, whose name has been protected by a publication ban.
The girl’s body was found in Burnaby’s Central Park in July 2017, just hours after her mother reported her missing.
The jury heard from almost 50 Crown witnesses over the course of the trial, including police, civilians and experts.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2023.
