Marrisa Shen: Murder trial set to begin almost 6 years after teen’s death – BC

The trial of a man accused of killing a 13-year-old girl in Burnaby, B.C., nearly six years ago is set to finally get underway at B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver on Wednesday. Ibrahim Ali is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Marrisa Shen, and will be tried by a jury. Shen was reported missing on July 18, 2017. She was last seen alive on security video shot at a coffee shop near her home.
Her body was found in Burnaby’s Central Park hours later, shocking the community.
At the time, homicide investigators described her death as a “random attack.”
Story continues below advertisement 1:41 Questions about police mass DNA testing Over the course of the investigation, investigators identified nearly 2,000 persons of interest in the case. Trending Now Police used a controversial “DNA dragnet” technique to narrow their focus down to a suspect of Middle-Eastern descent. Ali, a Syrian refugee with no previous criminal record, was arrested nearly 14 months after her death.
He has remained in police custody since his arrest.
Since then, there have been numerous delays with the trial postponed five times — raising concerns that the case could be in jeopardy due to unreasonable delays.
The travel trial is expected to last for up to two months. &copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.