A forensic pathologist testifying in the trial of a man accused of murdering a 13-year-old girl in Burnaby, B.C., says she died by strangulation.
Dr. Jason Morin, who conducted the autopsy, says the four-hour procedure showed there had been a lack of blood supply to the girl’s brain.
He says he also identified a number of other injuries to her body, including bruising, scraping and tearing on the back of her head, as well as to her arms and legs.
The body of the girl, who cannot be identified under the terms of a publication ban, was found in Burnaby’s Central Park in July 2017, just hours after her mother had reported her missing.
Ibrahim Ali last month pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the B.C. Supreme Court trial.
Crown attorney Isobel Keeley said in an opening statement that the court would hear evidence showing the murder was random, but DNA results would prove Ali sexually assaulted her.
She said the evidence would show the girl was passing through a neighbourhood park when she was dragged off a pathway into the forest by Ali, sexually assaulted and strangled.
READ MORE: B.C. Crown Prosecutor says Ibrahim Ali killed girl, 13, during sexual assault