Closing arguments continue in Shafia trial

By Katrina Geenevasen

Closing arguments continued at the Shafia trial in Kingston today.

In a packed courtroom, Hamed Shafia’s defense lawyer Patrick McCann said while the 21-year-old is guilty of being stupid, neither he nor his parents, Mohammad Shafia and Tooba Yahya, are guilty of committing murder.

Shafia, 21, and his father, along with his second wife Yahya, 42, have each pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder. The Crown has argued during the trial that these were honour killings of the couple’s three daughters: Zainab, 19, Sahar, 17, and Geeti, 13, along with Rona Amir Mohammad, 52, who was Shafia’s first wife, who were found drowned in the Kingston Mills locks in June 2009.

McCann argued the evidence just doesn’t “stand up” and that its time to put an end to the “Kafkaesque” of an experience they have been through over the past two years.

Crown lawyer Laurie Lacelle was up next.

She spent almost three hours telling jurors that all the physical evidence in the case proves the four women were murdered.

Lacelle went through the evidence that put the family’s Lexus at the site where the women were found, and suggested the only reason why pieces of the car’s headlights were there was because it has pushed the Nissan into the water.

“There was too much found at the scene for it to be the accident scenario that Hamed wants you to believe,” said LaSalle. “This was a planned and deliberate murder.”

She added that none of the women found in the car were wearing seatbelts, and that 13-year-old Geeti was the one found closest to the drivers seat.

“She had no reason for being there,” said Lacelle.

Crown arguments also stated the trio accused of murder had a motive.

Lacelle said each of the women was perceived to be disgracing the Shafia family.

It was an honour killing in which four lives were taken, Lacelle said.

Zainab had married against her parents wishes, Geeti had been caught shoplifting and was skipping school, Sahar also had a boyfriend her parents disapproved of and Rona was requesting a divorce.

“All four of the women breached the family’s honour to some extent,” said Lacelle.

The Crown’s closing arguments will continue tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m.

The judge expects to start charging the jury tomorrow afternoon.