Lawyers question phone records linking Ali to BC teen’s alleged murder scene
VANCOUVER — Lawyers for Ibrahim Ali, who is accused of murdering a 13-year-old girl six years ago in a park in Burnaby, BC, have sought to cast doubt on the reliability of cell phone records suggesting his phone was nearby at the time of the murder.
The jury in the British Columbia Supreme Court trial has been hearing testimony for the past two weeks about cellphones related to Ali and the girl, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban.
Don Calpito, a cellular coverage expert at Telus Communications, says things like tall buildings or capacity issues can degrade a signal and cause a phone to connect through several cell towers.
The jury learned earlier this week from a Bell employee that police said the number belonged to a phone Ali had with him when he was arrested, calls connected through a tower near Central Park the night the girl was found dead there in July 2017.
David Mak, a senior investigator at Rogers Communications, meanwhile, testified that the Bell phone Ali was carrying never interacted with two phones where Rogers’ bills were paid by the girl’s mother.
The various experts have all testified that connection data doesn’t show exactly where a person is when they call, and while the closest tower is usually used, multiple factors can influence that choice.
Mak testified that towers in urban areas like Burnaby usually have a range of about two miles.
In May, Ali pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder of the girl, whose body was found hours after her mother reported her missing.
The Crown has told the jury they will hear evidence showing the girl’s murder was random, but DNA results would prove Ali sexually assaulted the girl and cell phone records would place him and the victim in or near the park at the day she died.
They said there would be evidence that the girl was walking through the park when she was dragged off a path into the woods by Ali, sexually assaulted and strangled.
The defense has not yet told the jury its theory of events.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 12, 2023.
