Man accused of killing 13-year-old girl in Burnaby appears in court

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to remove the victim’s name, which is now covered by a publication ban.

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The man accused of killing a 13-year-old girl appeared in court Tuesday.

Ibrahim Ali, 28, is charged with first-degree murder of the Burnaby teen. Her body was found in Central Park in July 2017, hours after the girl had been reported missing.

In Ali’s appearance last November, his lawyer said the defence was still waiting on thousands of pages of documents in disclosure.

In court on Jan. 29, Ali appeared in a jail-issue red sweatsuit. He listened intently through an interpreter as his lawyer talked about the 12-thousand pages of disclosure she’s received and the judge set March 5th as his next court date.

Ali’s latest appearance was brief, but the courtroom was still crowded with observers angered by the girl’s death.

He was arrested in early September 2018, over a year after the 13-year-old died.

Police say Ali came to Canada in 2016 as a refugee. He has since become a permanent resident. He had been living and working in Burnaby and did not have a criminal record.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced a question about the girl’s death.

Trudeau said he understands people’s concern, but argued tying things like immigration policy to her murder aren’t helpful or useful in a diverse society.

 – With files from Monika Gul

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