

Chris Herhalt, CP24.com





Police in Halton Region say a 23-year-old man now accused of the murder of Edmund Ferrari in August was in jail awaiting trial for three separate assaults that occurred in Toronto in August when he was charged with the 91-year-old's death.

Halton Regional Police say that at 4:40 p.m. on Aug. 24, they were called to Church and Allan streets, north of Lakeshore Road East, where they found Ferrari on the sidewalk, suffering from trauma to his chest.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Supt. Kevin Maher said that after a lengthy investigation that involved the OPP, Toronto police and Durham Regional police, they identified a suspect.

Twenty-three-year-old Dazel DaCosta Henry was charged with one count of first degree murder on Friday.

Maher said officers attended Toronto West Detention Centre Friday and formally charged DaCosta, before bringing him to a Milton courthouse for his first appearance.

He will appear via video link again on Oct. 24.

DaCosta was arrested in Toronto on Sept. 11 and is in jail awaiting trial for three violent incidents, the first of which occurred on Aug. 12.

Officers say that a 19-year-old man was in the area of Duncanwoods Drive and Islington Avenue at 1:25 a.m. when a man approached him and stabbed him repeatedly in the shoulder and back.

About an hour later, the same suspect hailed a cab which took him to various locations in Toronto, and then the suspect allegedly struck the cab driver in the face with a gas can.

On Aug. 28, four days after Ferrari was killed,a male suspect was in the area of Victoria Park and Ellesmere Avenue when he allegedly stabbed a woman who was in his car.

Investigators previously said that a four-door Volkswagen Golf was seen leaving the area shortly before Ferrari was found.

Halton Regional Police Chief Stephen Tanner told reporters Friday that Henry and Ferrari were not known to each other prior to the incident.

“It is unimaginable to me that someone lives for more than 90 years and then meet such a violent end as did Mr. Ferrari on a Sat. afternoon while out for a walk,” Tanner said.

Maher said that their investigation has so far not been able to determine a motive for the homicide.

“We have not gleaned any evidence to indicate a reason for this particular act.”

Earlier reports from Toronto police said Henry has no fixed address but Halton investigators said Friday that Henry is from Brampton.