Different man is murderer, defence says
Defendant present during shooting, but did not shoot, lawyer claims
A man killed in a police shootout was the person who executed two men inside a downtown Toronto condo — not Kamal Hassan, who is on trial for the double murder, his lawyer told a jury Tuesday.
Hassan will testify he was present in the short-term rental unit at 36 Lisgar St., near King St. W. and Dufferin St., when Kwasi Skene-Peters fatally shot Mohamed Dirie and Abdiweli Abdullahi, both 26, just before 7 a.m. on June 28, 2015, Adele Monaco said.
“You will hear that it was Kwasi Skene-Peters and not Mr. Hassan who shot and killed both Mr. Dirie and Mr. Abdullahi,” the defence lawyer said during her opening remarks. “You will hear that Kwasi Skene-Peters used the gun that he had on him, and then he took Mr. Dirie’s gun to shoot Mr. Abdullahi who was asleep in the bedroom.”
Hassan will testify how SkenePeters then removed Dirie’s prominent gold necklace and his watch and then shot him one final time in the face, she said.
The jury has seen elevator surveillance video recorded an hour after the shootings, showing Skene-Peters wearing a large gold necklace — which he didn’t have on earlier — and Hassan appearing to re-enact the murders.
Prosecutor David Mitchell told the jury the “video is silent, but it speaks for itself.”
After the killings, Toronto police issued arrest warrants for Hassan and Skene-Peters. Police located Skene-Peters outside a downtown nightclub on July 25, 2015. A gun battle ensued and Skene-Peters died after officers shot him.
Before prosecutors closed their case Friday, the jurors heard about the criminal records of three dead men: the two victims and Skene-Peters. Skene-Peters had numerous convictions including several firearms offences. The jury returns to the Superior Court of Justice courthouse Thursday to hear the continuation of the defence case.