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Toronto Sun
26-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
HUNTER: Notorious names tied to Hamilton murder trial
Get the latest from Brad Hunter straight to your inbox Abdelaziz Ibrahim. Suspected hitman died in jail. Salloum Jassem and Abdelaziz Ibrahim were the stars of a two-year bloodbath in Southern Ontario. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account One was the drug boss, the other his prize hitter. Both are now dead. But like the corpse whose nails continue to grow in the coffin, Jassem and Ibrahim are very much present in a Hamilton courtroom. Alessandro Giammichele is on trial for first-degree murder in the Nov. 22, 2018, murder of his one-time friend Marko Bakir, 31. Cops say that it was Ibrahim who squeezed the trigger, hitting Bakir with five bullets in the driveway of his Hamilton home. Jassem was the broker of death, the Crown has claimed. Of course, given that they are very dead, neither will be offering their two cents. For his part, Giammichele has pleaded not guilty. The Crown and defence both agree that Ibrahim was the shooter. Soheil Rafipour, 28, was murdered on Dec. 24, 2018, in Richmond Hill. Photo by Handout / York Regional Police The court heard that the beef between Giammichele and Bakir stemmed from a $362,000 settlement following a motorcycle accident. Bakir lent his friend $100,000 to invest. There was a contract and a repayment schedule, but Giammichele never coughed up. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Hovering in the background of this drama were Jassem and Ibrahim, both of whom would be destined for the marquee. And there was a broad canvas: Drugs, small town thuggery, GTA tow truck wars and hitters for hire. Lynn VanEvery and Larry Reynolds were shot and killed in their Brantford home on July 18, 2019. The jury previously heard that Giammichele called both Jassem and Ibrahim on the day of the hit. Ironically, the accused was later shot in a Mississauga driveway on Sept. 17, 2019. Cops later found a tracker on the car he was driving. No one has been charged. But the saga of Jassem and Ibrahim is about halfway through the final act, even though the two stars have exited the stage. No one has piped up to say how much the two criminals are missed. As the walls closed in, Jassem and Ibrahim both died of drug overdoses in the jailhouse. It was on the eve of the Cody Carter murder trial for Jassem, and as for Ibrahim, he had recently been arrested for a third homicide. The defence has highlighted and honed in on the pair for an alternative explanation for Bakir's death. And at the John Sopinka Courthouse in Hamilton, the nefarious duo are now taking their last bows in the sunlight. After this, we will never hear their names again. bhunter@ @HunterTOSun Relationships Canada Columnists Football Celebrity
Hamilton Spectator
26-05-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
Defence points to dead drug boss, gunman in Marko Bakir murder trial
The defence case for Alessandro Giammichele focused on Salloum Jassem and Abdelaziz Ibrahim on Friday at the John Sopinka Courthouse. Giammichele is charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Marko Bakir. He has pleaded not guilty. Bakir, 31, was shot five times in the driveway of his west Mountain home around 8:15 p.m. on Nov. 22, 2018, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Assistant Crown attorney Elise Quinn previously told the jury of eight men and four women that while Giammichele didn't physically pull the trigger, he played a 'fundamental role' in the killing. The Crown and defence have agreed Ibrahim, who is now dead, shot Bakir. In 2018, Bakir , who had recently been awarded a $362,000 settlement following a motorcycle crash, lent Giammichele $100,000 to invest, Quinn previously told the jury. The loan came with a contract and repayment schedule — but Giammichele didn't pay it back. Defence lawyer Kendra Stanyon, in presenting the case for the defence, read an agreed statement of facts that both Crown and defence agree Jassem, who is now deceased, was a 'major drug supplier' in Brantford and the surrounding area and had a 'network of subordinates and access to firearms.' The Crown and defence also agreed York Regional Police executed a search warrant at a Brantford address related to Jassem, as well as another related to Ibrahim in Hamilton. Three phones were seized from the Jassem residence and two from Ibrahim's. The jury previously heard that Giammichele appears to have called both Jassem and Ibrahim on the day of Bakir's murder. According to another agreed statement of facts, Crown and defence agree Giammichele was shot in a driveway in Mississauga around 1:40 a.m. on Sept. 17, 2019. Peel police found a tracker on the car Giammichele was driving at the time. Police have never charged anyone in connection with the crime. Stanyon also filed an affidavit that the tracker was linked to a phone number that appears in one of Jassem's phones as 'Zizo 2019.' Ibrahim's former girlfriend Breanna Lefneski previously told the court his nickname was 'Zezo.' Det.-Const. Matt Robinson, who examined the phones for Hamilton police, testified none of the phones appears to have been in use in November 2018. He added there were no communications in the phones about Marko Bakir's murder, and Bakir's and Giammichele's names and numbers did not appear. The jury also saw WhatsApp messages of Jassem negotiating to buy numerous handguns and references to him having 'a lot of shooters.' Robinson testified Mark Buzzelli was arrested for accessory after the fact on Nov. 9, 2022, and, on Nov. 10, he contacted the jail to keep Buzzelli and Giammichele separate. He said that call was made to ensure Buzzelli's safety, as he said generally when people speak to police in violent crime cases, their safety can be at risk. Robinson also told the jury he warned the detention centre after Giammichele was arrested for Bakir's murder on May 18, 2022, in Thunder Bay that Toronto or Brantford gang members 'may want to harm' him. The trial continues Monday.
Hamilton Spectator
23-05-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
Accused appears to have called Marko Bakir's killer the day of his killing
Alessandro Giammichele appears to have communicated numerous times with the man who shot Marko Bakir the day he was killed, a jury heard Thursday at the John Sopinka Courthouse. Hamilton Police crime analyst Jovan Krasulja showed the jury cellphone data indicating there were at least four connections between the phones of Giammichele and Abdelaziz Ibrahim the day Bakir was killed. In addition, Giammichele's phone also texted and called a phone number known to be associated with Salloum (Sal) Jassem Nov. 21 and 22. Bakir, 31, was shot five times in the driveway of his west Mountain home around 8:15 p.m. on Nov. 22, 2018. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Giammichele is charged with first-degree murder in Bakir's killing. He has pleaded not guilty. Assistant Crown attorney Elise Quinn previously told the jury of eight men and four women that while Giammichele didn't physically pull the trigger, he played a 'fundamental role' in the killing. In an agreed statement of facts, the Crown and defence previously agreed Ibrahim, who is now dead, is the person who shot Bakir. In 2018, Bakir, who had recently been awarded a $362,000 settlement following a motorcycle crash, lent Giammichele $100,000 to invest, Quinn previously told the jury. The loan came with a contract and repayment schedule — but Giammichele didn't pay it back . The jury also previously heard in the agreed statement of facts that Ibrahim was a 'close associate' of Jassem and , as heard earlier in the trial, phone numbers for 'Bob Marley' and 'Amanda Hug'n'Kiss' are agreed to be connected to Jassem or his associates. The court also saw surveillance video Thursday from Bakir's neighbourhood which appears to show a red pickup truck driving past at 8:11 p.m. The jury previously heard Giammichele drove a red Ford F-150 at the time of the murder. Surveillance video appears to show an individual walk toward Bakir's home at 8:13 p.m. Then, at 8:15 p.m., an individual runs in the opposite direction from Bakir's home — and less than a minute later, the video shows a red pickup truck and a grey hatchback leave from the direction the individual ran to. Krasulja told the jury a phone registered to Breanna Lefneski — which the court previously heard she purchased for Ibrahim — called a number associated with Jassem at 8:16 p.m. from to a tower near Bakir's home. At 8:17 p.m., Ibrahim's phone connected to two towers near Bakir's home, Krasulja told the jury. Krasulja testified the 'Bob Marley' phone number associated with Jassem connected to a cellphone tower in Brant County at 7:15 p.m. Nov. 22 and again two minutes before Bakir was killed. He said police did not get call records from the 'Hug'n'Kiss' phone. He told the jury there were 17 text messages and several calls between Giammichele and a Jassem-related 'Bob Marley' phone Nov. 21. There was also a call and text from the 'Hug'n'Kiss' number associated with Jassem to Giammichele's phone in the early afternoon of Nov. 22, followed by several calls and texts from the 'Hug'n'Kiss' number to Ibrahim's phone. Following those calls, both Ibrahim's and Giammichele's phones connected with the same tower close to Vlad Sulug's Hendershot Road shop shortly before 5 p.m., Krasulja said. Ibrahim's phone called Giammichele's just before 6 p.m. from a tower close to Bakir's home, Krasulja said, and one of Giammichele's phones does not connect to another tower until 9:25 p.m. Giammichele's other phone and Ibrahim's phone both connected to Ibrahim's home tower on Concession Street shortly before 7 p.m., Krasulja said. Giammichele's second phone did not connect to a tower again until 10:24 p.m. During cross-examination by defence lawyer Susan Pennypacker, Krasulja said cellphone tower data cannot pinpoint the location of a person, just that their device is within the service area of the tower. He agreed two people may ping off the same tower, but may not be in the same location. The trial continues Friday.
Hamilton Spectator
14-05-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
Did you search my pickup truck? Accused killer asked Hamilton cops, jury hears as murder trial continues
While Alessandro Giammichele had several vehicles registered to him — including a Jeep and Mercedes-Benz — when he spoke to Hamilton police while in the Dominican Republic in May 2019, he only asked if police had searched his Ford F-150 pickup truck, Staff Sgt. Rich Wouters testified Tuesday at the John Sopinka Courthouse. Defence lawyer Kendra Stanyon previously asked Wouters about three vehicles believed to be registered to Giammichele — but when pressed by assistant Crown attorney Elise Quinn during re-examination Tuesday, Wouters said Giammichele did not ask about the other vehicles. Giammichele is charged with first-degree murder in the November 2018 killing of Marko Bakir, 31. He has pleaded not guilty. A red F-150 — the same colour, make and model as Giammichele's — was captured on surveillance footage from two different cameras in Bakir's neighbourhood, Quinn told the court earlier in the trial. Quinn previously told the jury that while Giammichele didn't physically pull the trigger, he played a 'fundamental role' in the killing. Quinn said the alleged 'hitman' who shot Bakir five times in his driveway was Abdelaziz Ibrahim, who is now dead. Alessandro Giammichele pleaded not guilty in the 2018 shooting death of Marko Bakir. In 2018, Bakir, who had recently been awarded a $362,000 settlement following a motorcycle crash, lent Giammichele $100,000 to invest, Quinn previously told the jury. The loan came with a contract and repayment schedule — but Giammichele was behind on payments . Wouters also testified Tuesday that Giammichele used Google Translate daily to 'romance women' in the Dominican Republic in late 2018 and early 2019. However, he said Giammichele's translation history also includes references to being a 'hitman' at the same time as statements about having to flee Canada for 'doing bad things' or related to comments about his involvement in the drug trade. The jury also heard Monday from Sgt. Ben Adams, who testified he located a leather pouch with a Highway 407 transponder and a nameplate inscribed with 'Alessandro Giammichele' in Vlad Sulug's Hendershot Road shop in March 2019 when police executed a search warrant. Adams said police were looking for anything related to Giammichele, Bakir or travel documents — and specifically, keys to a red Ford F-150. Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Susan Pennypacker, Adams said police were not looking for keys related to any other vehicles. The court also heard from Const. Adam Krasulja, who was present when a cellphone and the red Ford F-150 registered to Giammichele were seized in March 2019 from Sulug in Ingersoll, Ont. Sulug was stopped in a Shopper's Drug Mart parking lot, Krasulja testified, adding Sulug's cellphone was located on the dashboard of the pickup truck. In addition, the court heard an agreed statement of facts from Giammichele's aunt Teresa Desantis, who was the executor of his mother Joanne's will. Giammichele's mother died in 2017. The court heard Giammichele received more than $111,000 from his mother's estate between October 2018 and January 2019, which included several small instalments and two lump sums of $48,300 and $50,000. The statement of facts also said Giammichele asked his aunt for $2,000 to $3,000 in April 2019, which she declined. The trial continues Wednesday.
Hamilton Spectator
14-05-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
Accused asked police about red F-150, jury hears in murder trial
While Alessandro Giammichele had several vehicles registered to him — including a Jeep and Mercedes-Benz — when he spoke to Hamilton police while in the Dominican Republic in May 2019, he only asked if police had searched his Ford F-150 pickup truck, Staff Sgt. Rich Wouters testified Tuesday at the John Sopinka Courthouse. Defence lawyer Kendra Stanyon previously asked Wouters about three vehicles believed to be registered to Giammichele — but when pressed by assistant Crown attorney Elise Quinn during re-examination Tuesday, Wouters said Giammichele did not ask about the other vehicles. Giammichele is charged with first-degree murder in the November 2018 killing of Marko Bakir, 31. He has pleaded not guilty. A red F-150 — the same colour, make and model as Giammichele's — was captured on surveillance footage from two different cameras in Bakir's neighbourhood, Quinn told the court earlier in the trial. Quinn previously told the jury that while Giammichele didn't physically pull the trigger, he played a 'fundamental role' in the killing. Quinn said the alleged 'hitman' who shot Bakir five times in his driveway was Abdelaziz Ibrahim, who is now dead. Alessandro Giammichele pleaded not guilty in the 2018 shooting death of Marko Bakir. In 2018, Bakir, who had recently been awarded a $362,000 settlement following a motorcycle crash, lent Giammichele $100,000 to invest, Quinn previously told the jury. The loan came with a contract and repayment schedule — but Giammichele was behind on payments . Wouters also testified Tuesday that Giammichele used Google Translate daily to 'romance women' in the Dominican Republic in late 2018 and early 2019. However, he said Giammichele's translation history also includes references to being a 'hitman' at the same time as statements about having to flee Canada for 'doing bad things' or related to comments about his involvement in the drug trade. The jury also heard Monday from Sgt. Ben Adams, who testified he located a leather pouch with a Highway 407 transponder and a nameplate inscribed with 'Alessandro Giammichele' in Vlad Sulug's Hendershot Road shop in March 2019 when police executed a search warrant. Adams said police were looking for anything related to Giammichele, Bakir or travel documents — and specifically, keys to a red Ford F-150. Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Susan Pennypacker, Adams said police were not looking for keys related to any other vehicles. The court also heard from Const. Adam Krasulja, who was present when a cellphone and the red Ford F-150 registered to Giammichele were seized in March 2019 from Sulug in Ingersoll, Ont. Sulug was stopped in a Shopper's Drug Mart parking lot, Krasulja testified, adding Sulug's cellphone was located on the dashboard of the pickup truck. In addition, the court heard an agreed statement of facts from Giammichele's aunt Teresa Desantis, who was the executor of his mother Joanne's will. Giammichele's mother died in 2017. The court heard Giammichele received more than $111,000 from his mother's estate between October 2018 and January 2019, which included several small instalments and two lump sums of $48,300 and $50,000. The statement of facts also said Giammichele asked his aunt for $2,000 to $3,000 in April 2019, which she declined. The trial continues Wednesday.
