Crown calls final witness in Mohamed murder trial

The defence called no evidence and closing arguments were scheduled for Friday afternoon.

Published Feb 02, 2024 • Last updated 2 hours ago • 3 minute read

Abdimalik Dahir Mohamed who is charged with second-degree murder in the 2021 death of Ahi S. Ebrotie, walks into custody at the Court of Kings Bench on Tuesday, January 30, 2024 in Regina. Photo by KAYLE NEIS /Regina Leader-Post

In a Regina murder trial that has featured patchy recollections about key points, the last of the evidence has been heard.

Late Thursday afternoon, Abdimalik Dahir Mohamed, who stands charged with second-degree murder in relation to the Nov. 14, 2021 shooting death of 29-year-old Ahi S. Ebrotie, indicated through his lawyer that he would not take the stand.

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The defence would call no evidence at all, Roch Dupont told Court of King’s Bench Justice Beverly Klatt.

Mohamed, who was 31-years old when he was charged in late November 2021, pleaded not guilty when his trial began on Jan. 9.

The Crown’s final witness was called Thursday afternoon. He cannot be named due to a court-ordered publication ban.

He, like many of the other civilian witnesses, was at Ryderz Lounge in the very early hours of the date in question. He told prosecutor Adam Breker that he was employed by the Regina nightclub.

Consistent with the narrative presented through other testimony, he said he was present when Ebrotie was kicked out of the venue, and noted the now-deceased man broke a window. This had angered him, he acknowledged.

Mohamed was also working at the venue that night, the witness testified. But he said he did not recall the accused man being present while staff closed the bar, nor did he recall seeing him at an “after party” in a condo building on Heseltine Road, outside of which Ebrotie was later found full of bullet wounds, face down in snow soaked with blood.

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Previous witness testimony suggested both the witness and accused worked at closing the bar and headed to the after party at the same time, albeit in separate vehicles. Video surveillance footage from the condo building was tendered in evidence, and through that footage, another witness identified both men entering the building at the same time.

When shown the footage, the final Crown witness said he could not make out who it depicted.

“I can’t really see. It’s pretty grainy,” he said, at first.

Despite efforts to show him the clip on different screens, he did not confirm the footage depicted either himself or Mohamed. He also said he couldn’t recall seeing another man, who is still wanted for murder in relation to the killing, at the party.

He’d been “70-80 per cent” intoxicated, he testified.

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Previous testimony suggested the witness may have been on a call with Ebrotie before the shooting, and that he may have threatened the now-deceased man.

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Breker asked multiple questions about whether he’d contacted Ebrotie, and the witness maintained he hadn’t, stating he didn’t have the man’s contact information.

He also stressed that he didn’t have a phone on him, in a lengthy exchange about the device he’d been carrying, which he said could not take or make phone calls but could connect to wireless internet.

At one point, he referred to the device as being akin to a tablet computer. At another point, he said it was like an iPod.

“You had an iPod with you, sir?” Breker asked.

“Sir, man, I don’t know why you’re trying to twist my words,” the witness replied.

When Breker asked about video footage depicting him on the phone, the witness said he was using another person’s “hot spot” (an internet connection made via another device featuring a cellular connection) at that time. This way, he could make audio calls through social media platforms, he said.

He told Breker that he hadn’t heard any gunshots, and when asked whether he’d brought a gun to the party he said: “Absolutely not. I don’t even own a gun.”

Dupont chose to ask no questions of the witness, and the lawyers agreed to present closing arguments Friday afternoon.

Those arguments had not yet begun at time of publication.

bharder@postmedia.com

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