Two Hamilton men charged in 2018 murder of Marko Bakir
Three and a half years after Marko Bakir was shot in his driveway and left for dead on a frigid November night, Hamilton police have charged two men with first-degree murder.
One was a friend of the 31-year-old victim who police arrested in Thunder Bay on Wednesday. Another is a man already in jail charged in two unrelated murders.
The motive for Bakir's shooting is financial, Det. Sgt. Steve Bereziuk, of the homicide unit, said outside Hamilton police central station Friday.
Before his death, Bakir, who was known as Mark, received a settlement due to a serious car crash. He shared pictures of big purchases, including a Lamborghini and Land Rover, on social media. He bought his new home on Clifton Downs Road on the west Mountain not long before being found shot there.
Hamilton police homicide detectives travelled to Thunder Bay this week and arrested Alessandro Giammichele at a business. The 28-year-old, who is also known as Gino and Sandro, had been living on Manitoulin Island and in Sudbury in recent years and had just moved to Thunder Bay about a week before his arrest.
Bereziuk said Giammichele, who is from Hamilton, and Bakir were friendly in 2018, but had not been friends long. Giammichele made a brief video appearance in court from Thunder Bay after his arrest and is next scheduled to appear in court there May 26.
Also charged in the murder is 25-year-old Abdelaziz Ibrahim of Hamilton. He is already in custody charged with first-degree murder in the 2018 shooting death of Soheil Rafipour in Richmond Hill. Police have said that murder is tied to the tow truck industry. Ibrahim is also charged with first-degree murder in the 2019 shooting death in Brantford of Coby Carter, 22, of Hamilton.
Police said Bakir's murder is unrelated to these cases and appears to be an isolated incident.
Ibrahim and Bakir did not know each other, Bereziuk said. He would not detail how Ibrahim and Giammichele knew each other, including whether police believe Ibrahim was hired to carry out the murder.
Police have previously said Bakir's murder is not tied to organized crime, drugs, weapons and robbery. Bereziuk would not detail the financial motive.
Detectives believe there was only one gunman, but would not say which one of the accused is alleged to have pulled the trigger. There were strong elements of pre-planning," Bereziuk said.
The night of the murder was very cold and people in the quiet residential neighbourhood north of the Lincoln Alexander Parkway, between Garth Street and Upper Paradise Road, had their windows closed. No one heard the gunshots and Bakir was found later by a neighbour. A car was used, but Bereziuk did not say more about the alleged killer's movements.
We had limited witnesses so this has been a challenging investigation for us," Bereziuk said, adding that detectives stayed with it.
Detectives had been closing in" on the accused pair this year, he said.
Bereziuk said Bakir's family was thrilled with arrest." Through police, they declined to speak with The Spectator.
In a statement released by police in February, Bakir's family described him as a loving, caring and altruistic son, brother, friend and uncle." He was spontaneous" and lovable." Bakir loved going on vacations, spending time with family and his two dogs, Rex and Diamond.
Hamilton police thanked the Greater Sudbury Police Service, the Thunder Bay Police Service and OPP in Manitoulin Island, Sudbury and Thunder Bay for their help. On the same day Hamilton police arrested Giammichele, police searched a residence in Sudbury.
Bereziuk said this is still an ongoing investigation. This includes detectives looking at possible accessory charges for anyone who allegedly helped the charged pair. Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Robert Di Ianni at 905-546-3836.
Nicole O'Reilly is a crime and justice reporter at The Spectator. noreilly@thespec.com