Bail for man involved in Al-Hasnawi homicide
Details of bail hearing for James Matheson shielded by publication ban
The 20-year-old charged with helping the man accused of fatally shooting Good Samaritan Yosif Al-Hasnawi has been released on bail.
James Matheson was released on his own recognizance during a hearing in a Hamilton courtroom Monday after spending nine and a half months in custody.
Two paramedics who responded to the shooting were later criminally charged and fired.
Matheson’s conditions say he must check in weekly with police, remain at home every night from midnight until 6 a.m., not possess weapons, not consume drugs or alcohol, not leave Hamilton and not have contact with the Al-Hasnawi family or the alleged shooter, Dale Burningsky King.
He was arrested Dec. 4, 2017, and charged with accessory after the fact to murder, two days after 19-year-old Al-Hasnawi was shot on a Sanford Avenue South sidewalk. That charge was withdrawn Monday.
Details of what was said in court, including the nature of the hearing, cannot be published because of a bail hearing publication ban imposed by Ontario Court Justice Martha Zivolak.
Matheson returns Oct. 30 for sentencing on a charge of obstruction of justice. The publication ban is expected to expire.
The Spectator has previously reported that Al-Hasnawi died Dec. 2, 2017, after being shot once in the abdomen on Sanford Avenue South, near Main Street East after confronting two men who were harassing an older man on the street. Al-Hasnawi, the oldest of five who had aspirations of becoming a doctor, had been attending a religious celebration with his father and two brothers at the nearby Al-Moustafa Islamic Centre.
His mother, Amal Alzurufi, sat in court, wiping tears, during the hearing Monday morning.
Outside court, Det. Sgt. Steve Bereziuk of the major crime unit said Hamilton police continue to try to support the family and he hopes the progression of the case can help them begin moving forward.
“For her today, it’s a difficult day to hear what’s happened. We continue to support her,” Bereziuk said. “There is still a lot of work that has to be done,” he said about the prosecution.
Sept. 14 is the start of the preliminary hearing for Dale Burningsky King, who is charged with second-degree murder. “That really will set the stage for things to come,” Bereziuk said.
Two paramedics who responded to the shooting have also been accused of not believing Al-Hasnawi had been shot. Witnesses said they laughed and told the dying young man to get up. Hamilton police asked Niagara police to investigate.
Earlier this month, Steven
Snively, 53, of Hamilton and Christopher Marchant, 29, of Whitby were charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life and are scheduled to appear in Hamilton court Sept. 11.