VANCOUVER, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Police announced charges here Monday against a refugee from Syria for the murder of a 13-year-old girl more than a year after her body was found in a local park.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)'s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) announced first degree murder charges against 28-year-old Ibrahim Ali, a Syrian refugee who arrived in Canada 17 months ago.
Marrisa Shen, the child of Chinese immigrants to Canada, was found murdered on July 18 in Burnaby's Central Park not far from her home.
Police deemed her death a random act of violence and launched what they called their largest investigation in 15 years.
Police said new evidence in recent days identified Burnaby resident Ali as the lone, prime suspect. They arrested him without incident on Friday, Sept. 7, in Burnaby, a metropolitan center that neighbors the City of Vancouver. IHIT said Ali was not known to police until this investigation.
"This investigation called upon a great deal of resources and long hours for everyone involved," said Superintendent Donna Richardson, Officer-in-Charge of IHIT in a news release.
"The successful outcome in this investigation was a result of the diligence, unwavering commitment and relentless pursuit of justice from all of our investigators," she said.
"The incident had a profound impact on the community," said Chief Superintendent Deanne Burleigh, Officer-in-Charge of Burnaby RMCP.
"I hope that this arrest helps Marrisa's family and the community in their healing process," she said. "I want to thank IHIT, our own members from Burnaby RCMP and all of our other policing partners who worked diligently to ensure that the suspect was brought to justice in this challenging investigation."
Police said the massive investigation involved canvassing more than 1,300 residents in the area around Central Park, the location at which Shen's body was found just hours after she was reported missing.
They conducted more than 600 interviews, reviewed more than 1,000 hours of video footage from 60 locations in the area and eliminated more than 2,000 persons of interest.
IHIT told reporters on Monday that Ali arrived in Canada 17 months ago as a refugee. They said the murder still appears to be a random act of violence, meaning Shen did not know her alleged attacker.
Ali is now in custody and will make his next appearance in court on Sept. 14.
"We would like to take this opportunity to thank the public for all of their ongoing support and concern for us in this past year," the Shen family said through the police. "We are aware that so many people reached out to the police to provide information and we were so grateful for that."
They also thanked the media and the police for their work on the case.
"We hope that justice will now be served and that Marrisa can finally be at peace in heaven," the statement said.
