Hamilton man found guilty of 2nd-degree murder in Kitchener woman's stabbing death
CBC
A Hamilton, Ont., man has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his ex-girlfriend in her Kitchener apartment in April 2017.
Melinda Vasilije, 22, was found in a pool of blood by her roommate in the early morning hours of April 28, 2017.
Ager Hasan, 30, of Hamilton did not deny he killed Vasilije. At the start of his trial, he entered a plea of guilty to manslaughter because he said he blacked out during their fight and he never intended to kill her. The Crown rejected that plea, saying the evidence would show Hasan was guilty of second-degree murder.
Vasilje's family was in the Kitchener courtroom when the jury delivered its verdict Wednesday evening just after 8 p.m. Afterwards, they said they were too overwhelmed to comment on the outcome.
Crown attorneys Brendan Thomas and Ashley Wagne, as well as defence attorney Scott Reid, also declined to comment Wednesday night.
Being found guilty of second-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 10 to 25 years.
Hasan will return to court in September, when three days have been set aside for his parole and eligibility hearing.
After receiving instructions from Justice Gerry Taylor on Wednesday morning, the jury began deliberations just before 1 p.m. that day.
The jury heard closing arguments on Tuesday. Defence lawyer Scott Reid said Hasan only stabbed Vasilije after he was provoked.
He said Hasan testified the two got in a fight after he admitted to cheating on her and she grabbed a knife and cut him on his hand and wrist. That's when Hasan also grabbed a knife and Reid said Hasan remembers stabbing Vasilije twice before he blacked out.
Court heard Vasilije was stabbed 47 times, including 27 times to the neck and six to her chest.
Crown attorney Ashley Warne said during her closing arguments that Hasan stabbed her intentionally because he was mad she refused to get back together with him after breaking up on April 3, 2017.
Warne said evidence showed Vasilije was stabbed with two knives: Three wounds were with a serrated knife and the others 44 were not. A bent, serrated knife was found in the kitchen while a second knife that was not serrated was found in the living room.
Using two knives "suggests an intention to kill," Warne said.
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