VANCOUVER – The arraignment date of Ibrahim Ali, the Syrian refugee charged with the first-degree murder of 13-year old Marrisa Shen has been pushed off for another month.

The suspect appeared before the court on April 15th, bearded and disheveled in comparison to public photographs of him.

Ibrahim Ali is accused of murdering the 13-year old Burnaby local, Marrisa Shen.

Ali is expected to return to the Vancouver criminal court on May 13th, 2019 after his defence lawyer, Veen Aldosky, requested a month delay to review the evidence disclosure provided to her by the Crown.

The latest development in the trial included another substantial portion of disclosure by the Crown.

Aldosky hopes to provide instructions on an arraignment proceeding at the next hearing.

Crown hampered by further delays

The first charges against Ibrahim Ali were filed in September 2018. Since Ali’s first appearance, his defence has complained about disclosure delays, while Crown prosecutor, Daniel Porte has argued that the crown has accommodated Aldosky’s disclosure requests and that the amount of evidence provided has been substantial.

According to early reports, over 10,000 pages of evidence are in the process of being disclosed to Ali’s defence.

The murder of Marrisa Shen

Marrisa Shen was murdered on July 28th, 2019 shortly after she was reported missing by local authorities.

Ibrahim Ali was arrested in connection with her death after an extensive investigation by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) which looked into over 2,000 potential suspects.

Ali who is a Syrian national and a permanent resident of Canada, arrived in the country after being privately sponsored by St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church and families in the Bowen Island area.

Since his arrest, Ali’s court hearings have been rallied by protestors from the Chinese community who blame Justin Trudeau’s refugee and asylum policies for the girl’s tragic death.

Several protestors assembled outside of the Provincial Court of British Columbia with signs that read “Hold Trudeau Accountable”, and “Justin Trudeau, Where Is Your Heart?”, among a number of others.

