Prosecutors and defence lawyers for a Langley, B.C., man responsible for killing three people, including his mother and brother, have jointly proposed he be sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 15 years.
Kia Ebrahimian pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in October for the June 2020 killings of his 23-year-old brother, Befrin, his 50-year-old mother, Tatiana Bazyar, and her partner, Francesco Zangrilli, age 46. Their bodies were found by emergency crews responding to a house fire.
The offences come with an automatic life sentence, but parole eligibility could vary between 10 and 25 years.
However, Ebrahimian will have to wait out the weekend before learning his fate, after B.C. Supreme Court Justice Murray Blok adjourned his decision to Monday, saying he had not yet received Crown submissions, a psychiatric assessment or a pre-sentence report.
During Friday’s hearing, Ebrahimian sat in the prisoner’s box in a red sweatshirt, listening to the proceedings but not speaking.
In an emotional victim impact statement, Befrin’s girlfriend, Kiko Kung, described trying unsuccessfully to reach her boyfriend the day of the killing, and arriving to find the house half burned down.
“Since he died, my life has been upside down and I feel like a part of me is missing,” she said through tears. “When I met Befrin, I finally felt safe being myself … With him, I didn’t have to pretend to be somebody else.”
A childhood friend of Befrin’s also gave an impact statement, describing him as kind, loving and brave.
“I’m so grateful that Befrin had Kiko. He got to experience true love,” Anna Whiteman told the court.
“No length of time will be able to erase the sadness we’ll all live with for the rest of our lives.”
Chilling and brutal murders
Crown prosecutor Michael Fortino told the hearing that a feud with his brother Befrin, who was transgender, escalated when Ebrahimian moved back into his mother’s home in 2020.
Ebrahimian had anti-trans views, had made threats to Befrin, and had argued with his parents about being asked to move out of the home while Befrin could stay, Fortino told the court.
Days before the murders, Zangrilli and Bazyar had stayed home from work out of concern Ebrahimian might hurt his brother.
However, Crown was said there was not enough evidence to make the case beyond a reasonable doubt that the killing was a hate crime motivated by Befrin being transgender.
Fortino said Zangrilli had phoned Langley RCMP around 5:30 p.m. the day of the killings, and could be heard saying, “I’m sorry Kia! Enough, enough!”
He then murdered the trio in “chilling and brutal circumstances,” motivated by “anger and resentment,” Fortino said.
Zangrilli died of 15 sharp-force injuries, while Befrin died of 27 sharp-force injuries, the court heard.
After killing the family, Ebrahimian got gasoline from the garage and set the home on fire, before retreating to his own bedroom, the court heard.
Three neighbours rescued him with a ladder, and when they asked him if anyone else was in the house, he said no.
Fortino also told the court Ebrahimian was “not truthful” to police, telling investigators he heard a bang at the house and saw smoke when he went to check on it, but returned to his bedroom.
RCMP found two knives, one of them blood-stained, concealed under his clothing while he was in custody for questioning, court heard.
Crown told the court that by all accounts, Ebrahimian was acting rationally at the time of the murders.
Court also heard that he had longstanding mental health issues including depression, and has subsequently been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and will require ongoing psychiatric care.
Ebrahimian has also attempted suicide more than once since the murders.
Defence lawyer Donna Turko agreed with Crown’s summation of the facts, adding that Ebrahimian has written an apology, but will not be reading it to the court due to his mental health.
“When there is mental illness, blameworthiness is very ill-fitting,” she said, adding that Ebrahimian feels terrible about what happened.
“He lives in a very painful existence.”
– With files form Kristen Robinson