Advertisement

Homeless man accused in Calgary stomping death denies involvement in attack

'Just two homeless people': Questions linger after man found not guilty in stomping death

A homeless man accused of stomping to death a fellow shelter client on a busy Calgary street in 2015 has testified that he did not commit the attack.

Fuad Ali is on trial for second-degree murder in the death of Mustafe Hussein, who was attacked at about 9 p.m. on 10 Avenue at First St. SW.

Hussein, who was 44, remained in a coma for a month until he was taken off life support.

Video surveillance showed the killer make a stomping motion before he stood over Hussein, as cars drove by on the hot summer evening.

More footage from the area showed the same man on a nearby LRT platform.

Ali, 31, denied being the person caught on video.

"Is that you in the video with Mr. Hussein?" asked defence lawyer Adriano Iovinelli.

"Not at all," Ali responded.

'I would remember'

When asked if he caused Hussein's injuries, Ali again had the same response: "not at all."

"I would remember something like that," he said.

Ali testified that he had been homeless for a few months after quitting his job and moving out of the home where he'd previously lived with his father and brother.

"[I] would sleep anywhere I could find to put my head," he told the court.

The accused killer said he had met Hussein a few times but didn't know him well.

Ali would spend his days looking for work, working or sometimes he would drink all day.

Under cross-examination, Ali told prosecutor Colin Schulhauser that he and his former probation officer did not like each other. Earlier in the trial, the probation officer identified Ali as the person in the C-Train platform surveillance video.

Another video played in court showed people walking and driving by as Hussein was being attacked.

One group of friends out for dinner witnessed the stomping and called 911.

Lawyers on both sides still have to make final arguments before Justice Keith Yamauchi makes his decision.