Man charged in murder of Ont. woman Elnaz Hajtamiri is headed to trial

Woman's ex-boyfriend to stand trial for her murder Mohamad Lilo is scheduled to stand trial for first-degree murder in the death of missing ex-girlfriend Elnaz Hajtamiri.

The man accused in the murder and kidnapping of his former girlfriend, Elnaz Hajtamiri, is headed for trial.

Mohamad Lilo, 36, learned on Thursday the nine-week proceedings would begin next April in Barrie before Justice Michelle Fuerst.

Lilo is charged with first-degree murder in the Hajtamiri case and has enlisted Anthony G. Bryant to defend him, along with Stephanie Marcade, a criminal lawyer based in Collingwood.

Elnaz Hajtamiri's alleged abduction on Jan. 12, 2022, has gained national attention, with about a dozen people charged in the case.

Police say Hajtamiri was hiding at the home of loved ones in Wasaga Beach after a violent assault in Richmond Hill the night she was kidnapped by three suspects posing as cops.

Investigators have said Lilo is the common thread between the Richmond Hill assault and Hajtamiri's disappearance from Wasaga Beach weeks later, revealing he owns a shipping container business.

Hajtamiri's body has never been found.

Lilo returns to court later this month for the trial dates to officially be recorded.

He has been behind bars since his arrest nearly two years ago.

The allegations against him have not been tested in court.