Ager Hasan testifies he ‘blacked out’ the night he stabbed his ex-girlfriend 47 times

Dramatic testimony at Kitchener murder trial Court heard Ager Hasan’s side of what happened on the night of Melinda Vasilije’s death on Thursday. Jeff Pickel reports.

A Kitchener courtroom heard a dramatic testimony Thursday in the second-degree murder trial of Ager Hasan who took to the witness stand for the second day in a row to share the details of the night he fatally stabbed his ex-girlfriend.

In April 2017, Melinda Vasiljie was found with 47 stab wounds in her Country Hill Drive apartment, with Hasan testifying that it was Vasilije who attacked him first.

Hasan has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, but guilty to manslaughter.

Court heard Hasan and Vasilije had been dating for just over a year when they broke up on April 3, 2017.

On April 27, Hasan was invited to Vasilije’s apartment for closure and to end the relationship.

Hasan said in court Thursday that after talking they decided to get back together again.

Hasan told the court that Vasiljie said: “We can go back to the way things were before.”

He said when he left her apartment for the first time, “things were good,” and they were “back on track.”

The jury was again shown this video of Hasan and Vasilije in the parking lot outside her Country Hill Drive apartment.

Hasan said he was ready to leave when he decided to go back to the apartment to come clean about sleeping with another woman after they broke up three weeks before.

He said after that first confession, other confessions followed, and he told her about prior infidelities that occurred during the relationship.

“It all just kinda came out. I told her, 'yeah, I did hook up with other girls,”' Hasan testified.

He then told the court: “She was upset and angry she started hitting me.”

“I pushed her off me."

“Next thing that happens is she reaches for a knife. I know it made contact with my hands,” he said.

Hasan said after pushing Vasilije off and attempting to take her knife, he then grabbed another knife and stabbed her somewhere in the chin.

Hasan says he only remembers stabbing Vasilije twice, once in the chin then the shoulder.

“I remember stabbing her twice … I was overwhelmed,” he testified.

After the two stabs, Hasan said: “I just blacked out after that … when I regained focus, there was blood everywhere.”

“I didn’t expect to lose control like I did,” he said.

Hasan’s lawyer, Scott Reid, then asked Hasan why that happened and why he blacked out.

Hasan told the court: “Everything I’ve been through to that point in my life, it just exploded that day.”

On the stand Wednesday, Hasan spoke of a troubled childhood, including immigrating to Canada from Iraq when he was a child.

He testified to living with a violent father who abused his mother and threatened her with a knife.

He spoke about being attacked and beaten with a pipe by an adult when he was 14 years old.

Hasan dropped out of school when he was 16, and said he was depressed and anxious. This included two attempted suicides, Hasan testified.

The defence characterized Hasan as being in a very dark and anxious place after the breakup, desperate to get back together as they had many times before.

The defence ended its testimony, and the Crown's cross-examination of Hasan is expected to begin tomorrow.