The Murder of Jaili Zhang in Stoney Creek
THE MURDER OF JAILI ZHANG
JANUARY 2019The murder of JAILI ZHANG isn't getting a lot of press. The story is blocked from most readers behind a firewall. We will follow this case because her life matters.
Hamilton man ordered escort to beat and sexually assault her: Crown
Those two points become critical when considering the first-degree murder charge Klaric is facing.
On the first day of his trial, Klaric told the court he wished to plead guilty to manslaughter. Norman, who is Hamilton's head Crown attorney, refused to accept that plea and continued on with the first-degree murder trial.
First degree is a homicide that was either planned in advance, or a homicide that involved a sexual assault.
Just after 11 p.m. on the night of the homicide, Klaric, who was 35 at the time, called 911.
"I want to report a murder," he said.
Over the next 11 minutes while he talked to the call taker and waited for officers to come to him, Klaric explained he had "smashed" an escort with his fist. He said that earlier in the day Veterans Affairs had rejected his application for financial aid. He was briefly a soldier before suffering a hernia and being discharged.
The jury has seen autopsy photos of Jiali, whose face was beaten beyond recognition. Rao told the court her cause of death was "multiple blunt force injuries due to an assault." No weapon was used, just fists. Jiali suffered brain damage, a deep open gash across her nose through which bone could be seen, a broken and dislocated jaw, nearly every rib was broken with many fractured in more than one place, and her airways were filled with blood. Almost her entire face and much of her body was purple with bruises.
A knife found in Klaric's bedroom, where Jiali's naked body was located, had Jiali's blood on it, DNA testing showed. There were several small cuts on Jiali's body, but Rao said they were superficial and did not contribute to her death.
DNA testing was also done on a black, rubberized work glove found in the bedroom and on a matching piece of fabric that appears to be the glove's missing thumb. Saliva on the fingers of the glove and on the separate piece of fabric "cannot be excluded" as belonging to Jiali, testified McLean, the DNA expert.
Under cross-examination by Klaric's lawyer, Jordana Goldlist, McLean also testified that Klaric's DNA was not found on the glove.
Susan Clairmont's commentary appears regularly in The Spectator. sclairmont@thespec.com
905-526-3539 | @susanclairmont
Susan Clairmont's commentary appears regularly in The Spectator. sclairmont@thespec.com
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