Death of Marrisa Shen

Marrisa Shen (申小雨) was a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl whose body was found in a wooded area in Burnaby Central Park in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada on July 19, 2017. Shen had been reported missing by her parents a day earlier when she failed to return home. The police used the GPS device in her mobile phone to locate her body in the public park. The RCMP said the attack appeared to be random.[1] After Shen's death, RCMP told parents to talk to their kids about safety and warned the public to be vigilant.[1] Days later, the police said that based on its investigations, the case was now being considered a homicide.[2] Ever since the police has investigated the case with three hundred officers being involved in the investigation at its peak. Some "2,000 persons of interest" were investigated and were ruled out in the case.[3] There was little progress in the case for more than a year[4] and on the one-year anniversary of Shen's death, her family issued a letter asking the public's assistance in locating and bringing her attacker to justice.[5][6]

Suspect

In a breakthrough in the case, and after a 14-month impasse from the date of the murder, on 7 September 2018, the Canadian police arrested Ibrahim Ali (born in 1990 in Syria) as a primary suspect for the murder of Marissa Shen.[3] Police had used a DNA dragnet technique to identify the suspect.[7] On 10 September 2018, RCMP's integrated homicide investigation team (IHIT) gave details of his alleged involvement in a press conference saying Ali was arrested on 7 September 2018.

Ali had arrived in Canada as a refugee from Syria in April 2017 just months before her murder, police say.[8] He has been charged with first-degree murder of Shen.[9] Now a permanent resident of Canada, police say he had no previous criminal history. He briefly appeared in court on September 14, with trial set on October 12, 2018.[10]

Ali's status as a recent Syrian refugee raised questions about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's immigration policy. Ali's court appearances were picketed by protesters calling for "comprehensive security screening" for immigrants and to "hold Trudeau accountable". The discussion surrounding the killing became a major flashpoint during the February 2019 federal by-election for Burnaby South.[11] A spokesperson for Marissa Shen's mother communicated that while she appreciates the attention given to Marissa's murder, she does not want the case to become political — instead, "they should focus on the violence against women and children in our society, especially women of colour."[12]

References
  1. Lisa Johnson (26 July 2017). "Marrisa Shen's homicide was a 'random' attack, police say". CBC News. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  2. Jon Hernandez & Justin McElroy (20 July 2017). "Death of Marrisa Shen, 13, now considered a homicide, say RCMP". CBC News. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  3. Matt Robinson, Lori Culbert & Stephanie Ip (10 September 2018). "Ibrahim Ali, 28, charged with first-degree murder of Burnaby teen Marrisa Shen". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  4. Stephanie Ip & Scott Brown (18 July 2018). "One year later and police still have no suspect in Marrisa Shen's murder". The Province. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  5. Lisa Johnson (18 July 2018). "'We miss her beyond words': Marrisa Shen's family asks for help finding teen's killer". CBC News. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  6. marrisashen.org: One year anniversary of the homicide of Marrisa Shen
  7. MacDonald, Sarah (November 15, 2018). "Questions raised over RCMP's DNA 'dragnet' technique in Marrisa Shen investigation". Global News. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  8. "Syrian refugee Ibrahim Ali is charged with murder of Vancouver schoolgirl Marrisa Shen, 13, a case that stunned Canada". South China Morning Post. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  9. Sunny Dhillon (10 September 2018). "B.C. police announce arrest in killing of 13-year-old Marrisa Shen". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  10. "Ibrahim Ali, accused in Marrisa Shen killing, makes brief 1st court appearance". CBC News. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  11. Green, Melanie (5 March 2019). "Politics still linger around Marrisa Shen murder trial". The Star. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  12. Woodward, Jon (5 March 2019). "Marrisa Shen murder trial shouldn't be 'political': mom's spokesperson". CTV News. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
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