A Canadian murder suspect who was caught hiding out in San Antonio will be extradited back to his home country but when he stands trial there, his local attorneys are trying to limit the charges that he'll be facing.
Ager Hasan, 24, said nothing while appearing in a San Antonio federal court this week for an extradition hearing. He faces a litany of charges in Canada for the murder of his former girlfriend, including three breaches of recognizance charges stemming from a previous altercation at the woman's Canadian apartment.
Attorneys for Hasan seemed resigned to the fact that he will be shipped back home but, in court, tried to limit his exposure. They argued he should only be extradited for the underlying offenses, not murder. That would mean that, when he faces trial in Canada that second degree murder charge would be taken off the table.
Federal prosecutors argued that, while there is so far a lack of DNA evidence or fingerprints, there is a mountain of circumstantial evidence linking Hasan to the murder. They laid out security camera footage, eye witness accounts that place Hasan at the apartment and text message showing that the pair had a meeting that night.
Hasan, who is from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, is the main suspect in the stabbing death of Melinda Vasilije. The 22 year old, who was his former girlfriend, was found brutally murdered in her apartment. In court papers, Waterloo Regional Police detectives say she was stabbed over 30 times with a steak knife, and had her throat slit. Security cameras caught Hasan's car at her apartment complex before and after the murder.
Hasan crossed into the United States hours after the murder, and was allegedly heading for Mexico.
The case gained international attention in May after a Reddit user with the handle Redasblue101 claimed to tell Hasan’s side of the story. In court this week, it was revealed that the postings included evidence that was not publicly known.
This week's extradition hearing was an opportunity for the federal judge to make sure that all the paperwork was in place. She'll rule at a later date, which charges will be included in the extradition. It's then up to the U.S. Secretary of State to carry out the extradition.
Attorneys for Hasan unsuccessfully tried to get him released on a bond while the extradition process runs its course. On the stand, Hasan's mother said she had been living in a San Antonio hotel, supporting her son, and would move to San Antonio if would be released.
A judge shot down that request for now, citing the fact that Hasan previously did not show up for a court hearing and crossed an international boundary to avoid prosecution.