Wouldn’t lie, sister of accused killer says

Brother drunk ‘almost every day,’ court hears

Monika Lasota says she’s very close to her younger brother, Rafal, but not so close that she’d lie to help him beat first-degree murder charges.

“Do you know what your brother’s defence in (this) trial is going to be?” asked Assistant Crown Attorney Brian Mcguire on Tuesday in Brampton court.

“No,” she replied in a flat, even voice.

The exchange came as Rafal Lasota, 28, and his former girlfriend, Michelle Liard, 21, each face murder charges in the stabbing death of Mississauga Grade 8 student Aleksandra Firgan-hewie, 13.

The cool demeanour of Monika Lasota, 31, was in marked contrast to that of her mother, Teresa Lasota, who cried for more than two hours on the witness stand as she described the night she called 911on her only son after he tearfully told her he accidentally killed a girl in the family home.

Mcguire asked Monika Lasota if she thought her brother would be arguing he was too drunk to know what he was doing on the night of Dec. 8, 2008. “No,” she replied. “Really?” Mcguire continued. “No.” Firgan-hewie’s remains were found in two garbage bags in the Lasota backyard, with 37 stab wounds and 26 blunt force trauma wounds on her tiny body.

Mcguire’s sharp line of questioning came after Monika Lasota testified her brother was “very, very” drunk on the night of Firgan-hewie’s death.

“The first time you’re telling a court of law or a police officer (about her brother’s drunkenness) is right now. Correct?” Mcguire asked. “Correct.” Moments later, she stated again that she wasn’t lying. “I haven’t spoken to the defence so I’m not sure what their goal is,” she said. Under questioning from Gary Grill, her brother’s lawyer, she said her brother had a severe drinking problem.

“Are you able to comment on how often your brother was drunk?” Grill asked.

“Yes, almost every day,” she replied.

She agreed with Grill that she had met with him after he became her brother’s lawyer. “You told me to tell the truth,” she testified. “Anything else?” Grill asked. “No.” She earlier testified that her younger brother leaned on his bedroom door and blocked her from entering the night of the schoolgirl’s death.

Monika Lasota testified that her common-law spouse, A.J. Dziura, heard something startling from Rafal’s bedroom that night.

“Did you ever hear a young woman screaming?” Mcguire asked. “No,” she replied. “You didn’t hear any noises at all?” Mcguire continued. “No.” “Are you very close to your brother?” Mcguire asked. “Yes,” she replied. The trial continues.