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Adonay Zekarias convicted of 2nd-degree murder of his ex-roommate

Adonay Zekarias.
Adonay Zekarias. Toronto Police Service

Adonay Zekarias has been convicted of the second-degree murder of his ex-roommate Rigat Ghirmay.

That was after a judge found that the 46-year-old killed Ghirmay to prevent her from going to police regarding what she knew about an unsolved murder.

WATCH: Man on trial for the first-degree murder of his former roommate

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Man on trial for the first-degree murder of his former roommate

While Justice Michael Brown agreed with the Crown’s theory that Zekarias killed 28-year-old Ghirmay to silence her, Brown said there was not enough evidence to find that it was planned and deliberate.

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Zekarias was also found guilty of doing an indignity to a dead body.

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He was already serving a life sentence for stabbing hotel housekeeper Nighisti Semret to death in October 2013.

READ MORE: Cabbagetown killer gets life sentence for grisly stabbing

Ghirmay was killed in her Shuter Street apartment before Zekarias took her dismembered remains to his apartment and later distributed them them throughout the city.

It happened just nine days after Toronto police homicide detectives held a news conference in May 2013 announcing they had recovered DNA from Semret’s killer and told the media the suspect may have been received injuries to his hand or arm during the attack.

A man out walking through a wooded area found Ghirmat’s remains, from her navel to her knees, on May 24, 2014.

The remains were found in a location that was a five-minute walk from Zekarias’ apartment near Weston Road and Eglinton Ave.

Ghirmat’s skull and bones were found in April 2016. Her right hand and both feet have never been recovered.

A cause of death was never determined but Justice Brown said, “I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the only readable evidence to draw from all the evidence is that Mr Zekarias meant to kill Ms. Ghirmay when he unlawfully caused her death. The motive was to silence her to prevent her from going to police.”

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Zekarias and Ghirmay took an ambulance to hospital together on the day of Semret’s murder; Zekarias had injuries to his hands.

He told doctors he had caught his hand in a balcony door. A physician testified at trial that the explanation he gave was not consistent with his injuries.

Zekarias was caught on camera arriving at Ghirmay’s apartment with her on May 15, 2013. But it was the last time they were seen together.

READ MORE: Stabbing of hotel worker was ‘planned and deliberate murder,’ prosecutor says

Video later showed Zekarias leaving the building and then returning with a suitcase and a backpack.

Ghirmay’s brother was in court for the verdict and would not comment on the outcome.

Another relative wiped away tears after court.

A sentencing hearing will be held in July.

The sentence for second-degree murder ranges from life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 to 25 years.

With consecutive sentencing, Zekarias could be in jail for up to 50 years before being eligible for parole.

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