The Law Courts building, which is home to B.C. Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, is seen in Vancouver, on Thursday, November 23, 2023. Closing arguments for the first-degree murder trial of Ibrahim Ali are expected to begin today at the B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
VANCOUVER – The B.C. Supreme Court murder trial of Ibrahim Ali fell silent for two full minutes as Crown attorney Daniel Porte neared the end of his closing arguments.
Porte was illustrating how long it would have taken Ali to strangle the 13-year-old girl he’s accused of killing in a Burnaby, B.C., park six years ago, saying Ali would have had to apply “consistent and sustained” pressure.
Porte spent about two hours summarizing evidence from more than four dozen Crown witnesses over the course of the almost nine-month trial.
Ali pleaded not guilty in April to murdering the girl, whose name has been protected by a publication ban.
Porte told the jury that the Crown has proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Ali dragged the girl into a wooded area, sexually assaulted her, then killed her.
Ali’s lawyer Kevin McCullough told the jury last week that they would not be calling any evidence in defence of the allegations because the Crown hadn’t proven its case.
Justice Lance Bernard told the jury Thursday morning that the defence is expected to begin its closing in the afternoon, and that will likely continue into Friday.
The judge will then give his final instructions to the jury before members begin their deliberations.
The girl’s body was found in Burnaby’s Central Park in July 2017, just hours after her mother reported her missing.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 30, 2023.
