Marrisa Shen murder hearings continue; pre-trial date scheduled

VANCOUVER – On May 13th, Ibrahim Ali, the Syrian refugee charged with the first-degree murder of 13-year-old Marrisa Shen returned to a Vancouver criminal court for a preliminary hearing.

During the hearing, the court decided that all parties will reconvene for a pre-trial conference on June 4th.

Monday was another brief episode in the court case which began when Ali was arrested in September of last year.

Since charges were laid against the Syrian national, Ali’s defence attorneys have been pressing the crown prosecutors for disclosure on the thousands of pages and files of evidence.

What is a pre-trial conference?

According to the Supreme Court of British Columbia, pre-trial conferences are used in criminal cases to settle the facts before the case goes on to a legitimate trial.

Several things are discussed in a pre-trial conference including evidence, trial length and court motions.

“Much of the focus of the pre-trial conference process is to avoid unnecessarily long trials,” claims a Supreme Court document on the practice.

Currently, the court has ordered a publication ban on all evidence discussed in the Ibrahim Ali trial.

Chinese community continues to protest Trudeau

Outside of the courthouse protestors assembled with their usual placards, protesting the Trudeau government’s handling of refugees and asylum seekers.

“He needs to take responsibility and accountability for this murderous case,” said one protestor.

Protestors held signs that read “CBC, report the truth,” and “Comprehensive security screening now!”

According to one organizer, the posters were all funded by a group of approximately one hundred people, while a core group of about a dozen protestors regularly attend the hearings to get the word out about Marrisa Shen.