First witness takes the stand at Kitchener murder trial
Melinda Vasilije’s former roommate described the 22-year-old as a kind person and loyal friend, as the trial of the man accused of killing her continued Thursday morning.
Vasilije was found dead in her Kitchener apartment on April 28, 2017. Her ex-boyfriend, Ager Hasan is charged with second-degree murder in her death.
On Thursday, the jury heard that both the Crown and the defence agree Hasan caused Vasilije’s death, but Hasan has pleaded not guilty to the charge of second-degree murder.
Anna Manda, Vasilije’s roommate at the Country Hill Drive apartment, was called as the first witness.
Manda met Vasilije in Grade 8, and they remained friends into their twenties, moving in together on April 1, 2017, just weeks before Vasilije’s death.
"Melinda was really sweet. She was always the one person who would be there for you, even if you called her at two in the morning," Manda told court Thursday morning.
THE BREAK UP
Manda testified Vasilije didn’t tell Hasan she planned to move in with Manda until about a week before because she knew he wouldn’t be happy she wasn’t moving in with a friend instead of him.
“She didn’t want to live with him,” Manda told the jury.
By April 3, Vasilije broke up with Hasan.
“The relationship was just too much for her. It was toxic,” Manda said.
FIGHT RESULTS IN 911 CALL
But Hasan was unwilling to accept the break up, coming to the apartment uninvited that night, Manda testified.
The situation escalated into a fight involving Manda’s boyfriend and brother, who were also there, and ultimately led to 911 calls.
Manda said in the following weeks, Vasilije was inundated with messages from Hasan and she would sometimes cry when telling her roommate about them.
“She felt pretty upset because of how much he was messaging her. She was overwhelmed,” Manda described.
FATAL STABBING
On April 26, Vasilije asked her roommate if she should meet up with Hasan again, texting: “Should I just go and get it over with quickly?”
“Don’t you dare go by yourself,” Manda texted back.
Hasan ended up coming over the following day. Manda said she asked other people to also come over to their apartment because she was scared.
Hasan arrived late that evening to talk with Vasilije. Manda said she was going in and out of the apartment during his visit and getting increasingly frustrated with how long Hasan was staying.
Then in the early morning hours of April 28, Manda arrived home from a fast food run. She testified she found Vasilije on the floor in a pool of her own blood and a knife in the kitchen.
Manda’s husband, who was her boyfriend at the time, also took the stand Thursday and described the fight at the beginning of April.
The defence cross-examined both witnesses, asking questions about the particulars of their testimony and memory.
The next witness will be called Friday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Liberal MP says she's leaving politics over disrespectful dialogue, threats, misogyny
Liberal MP Pam Damoff says she won't run again in the next federal election, saying she has experienced misogyny, disrespectful dialogue in politics and threats to her life.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Ont. woman who faked pregnancy to defraud doulas arrested again on similar charges
Victims of a Brantford, Ont., woman who was sentenced to house arrest earlier this year for defrauding and deceiving doulas say they’re not surprised she’s been apprehended again on similar charges.
Eating disorders among youth skyrocketed during pandemic and so did associated costs, report finds
The number of young people experiencing eating disorders surged during the height of the pandemic as the social and economic costs skyrocketed too, a new pan-Canadian report has found.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.