Man stabbed ex-girlfriend 47 times, Crown tells jury at Kitchener murder trial

KITCHENER - Ager Hasan stabbed his ex-girlfriend Melinda Vasilije 47 times, the Crown said in its opening statement to the jury at Hasan's murder trial on Wednesday.

On April 3, 2017, Melinda Vasilije told Ager Hasan that their relationship was over, but he refused to accept it," prosecutor Brendan Thomas said.

In the days that followed, Ager Hasan made repeated attempts to convince Melinda to change her mind and he became fixated on whether she was seeing someone else."

On April 28, the Hamilton man killed Vasilije in her apartment on Country Hill Drive near Block Line Road in Kitchener, Thomas said.

Melinda had a stab wound to her head, six stab wounds to her chest, three stab wounds to her back, 10 stab wounds on her arms and 27 stab wounds to her neck," he told the jury.

A roommate and a friend found her on the living room floor in a pool of blood. Vasilije, 22, was pronounced dead at 3:05 a.m.

Hasan, now 30, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. The Crown rejected his guilty plea to manslaughter, saying it believes the evidence will prove murder.

There is no question that Ager Hasan stabbed Melinda Vasilije," Thomas said. There is no question that he is responsible for her death. The only question to be answered in this trial is whether what Ager Hasan did to Melinda Vasilije amounts to murder."

Vasilije and Hasan began dating in early 2016.

Although the relationship started well, it gradually became rocky and the two would often argue," Thomas said.

Vasilije ended the relationship in a text message.

In the days leading up to the killing, Hasan sent her a slew of texts with obsessive and jealous undertones," the prosecutor said.

On April 9, 2017, he wrote: You're all I think about in my dreams, when I'm awake, when I listen to music, when I work. Whatever it is I do, you're in there."

On April 17, Hasan texted: I (expletive) wake up every morning with a nauseating feeling in my stomach. I even throw up sometimes. That's how bad I'm taking it. I'm not mad at you, just at myself for letting this happen.

And you're there doing just fine with your friends, going out, talking to other guys. Not like you just broke up with your boyfriend of one-plus years."

On April 20, eight days before she was killed, Vasilije wrote: I'm so sorry for everything. I didn't think we would ever end, especially not like this, but you honestly need to let me go.

There's no explanation I can give you other than I just don't think we were meant to be. As hard as that may be to grasp ... there's nothing else I can really say to you. I'm truly sorry."

Hasan refused to accept that the relationship was over, Thomas said.

He continued to send text after text and when Melinda admitted under his questioning that she had started seeing someone else, he became focused on whether they had slept together," he said. On April 27, 2017, Melinda agreed to meet with Ager Hasan because he wanted closure."

Hasan went to Vasilije's apartment and killed her, Thomas said.

She had defensive wounds on her hands and arms. Wounds to her chest were fatal.

A knife with a bent blade was found on the kitchen floor, Thomas said. A second knife was found beside her body.

Jury selection began Monday and ended Wednesday morning. Jurors will begin hearing evidence on Thursday.

The trial, expected to last six weeks, had been set for 2019 but was adjourned at the request of the defence. It was then rescheduled for 2020 but was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was delayed again when Hasan discharged his original defence lawyer.

Gordon Paul is a Waterloo Region-based reporter focusing on crime for The Record. Reach him via email: gpaul@therecord.com