Kitchener court hears details of night Melinda Vasilije killed as trial begins

Warning: This story contains descriptions of violence.

Nearly six years after Melinda Vasilije was found fatally stabbed in her Kitchener apartment, the trial of the man accused of killing her began Wednesday in a Kitchener courtroom.

Ager Hasan, Vasilije’s former boyfriend, is charged with second-degree murder in the 22-year-old’s death.

After three days of jury selection, fourteen jurors and two alternates were chosen by Wednesday morning.

The judge gave the jury some instructions, then the trial began with the Crown’s opening statement.

The judge told the jurors the statement is not evidence, but rather a roadmap of what they will hear in the coming days and weeks.

CROWN'S CASE

On April 3, 2017, Vasilije told Hasan, her boyfriend of a little more than a year, their relationship was over, the Crown told the jury Wednesday.

Twenty-five days later, Vasilije was found dead on the living room floor of her Country Hill Drive apartment.

“She had been stabbed 47 times,” the Crown said.

Twenty-seven of those wounds were on her neck.

“There is no question that Ager Hasan stabbed Melinda Vasilije. There is no question that he is responsible for her death,” the Crown said.

The only question, Crown lawyers say, is whether his actions amount to second-degree murder. On Monday, Hasan pleaded not guilty to that charge.

The jury heard the couple’s relationship started well, but increasingly became rocky.

After Vasilije ended it, Hasan sent 63 unanswered text messages over a period of 11 days.

Vasilije finally responded, telling him “you honestly need to let me go.”

Eventually the two agreed to meet for closure.

The jury was told they will see surveillance video from outside the apartment in the early morning hours of April 28, 2017 that appears to show Vasilije and Hasan hugging goodbye, and then Hasan hesitating before following Vasilije back inside.

At 2 a.m., Hasan is seen again on surveillance video, quickly getting into his vehicle and driving away, the Crown said.

Half an hour later, Vasilije’s roommate and a friend found her in the apartment without a pulse.

Blood was all over the entryway, kitchen, and living room. Two knives, including one with a bent blade, were also found at the scene, the Crown said.

After the opening statement, the jury was dismissed for the day. The trial is set to resume Thursday morning when the jury will hear from the Crown’s first witness.