Murder in North Van cinema detailed in emotional testimony Anna Marie D'Angelo News Reporter dangelo@usnewscom MELANIE Brown struggled to keep her compo- sure on. Monday as she recounted the fast minutes of her boyfriend’s life in a crowded Lower Lonsdale movie theatre. Brown sarin the fron: row beside her bovitiend, Mohammed (Mo) Mirhadi, when he wa- shot and killed on Feb. 28, 1997. “His (Mirhadi’s) hands Sere oue full trving to block the shots,” said Brown. The petite brunette said. she first thought that the persen who came near her boviriend was somehow part of the gangster movie Donnie Braso . The person, she thought, was there to scare the movie's audience. - Then she heard the shots. “L was screaming. [ saw Mo was not there. He had been shot in the head. There was blood pouring out trom his neck,” said acrying Brown as she testified before Mr. Justice Randall Wong anda jury of four men and eight women in B.C. Supreme Court iv . Westminster. Michael Caster, 21, of North Vancouver, is charged with the first degree murder of Mirhadi. J.M., a 20-year-old from North Vancouver, is the co-accused sn the case and is slated for a sepa- sate trial fater this year. Because of a court order, the co-accused cannot be named and can only be identified by initials. Brown said that after Mirhadi was shot, no one helped her and “everyone was screaming.” “{ screamed for someone to phone 9-1-1. T went up the aiste and there were two Persian girls there trying to calm me down,” Andrew McCredie Editor andrew@nsnews.cont IN this day and age the,sight of a person in a wheelchair doing chings an able-bodied person does is as common as handicapped narking, spots and wheelchair accessible sidewalks. . But as is often the case, the visible image puts a misleading face on the truth of the matter, Sociery has come along way for the case of equality tor the handicapped, but not as far as you might think, Take the case of Alistair Dutson. The 26-year-old North Van man worn his firsteever wheelchair marathon race last November in California. I: was the 14th marathon he's competed in since taking up the sport six Vears ago, : At the awards ceremony following the race, Dutsen watched as both the men’s and wornen’s cunning race winners received =: USS10,000 cheques. “Dautson had beaten the men’s Winner by over 13 minutes. Dutson received $250. “And that wasn’t even money given out by thecrace commmiztce — a local man who is the president of a construction company — donated $1,000 in prize moncy for the wheel- chair winners.” Also, when Dutson was introduced as the winner, the announcer didn’t mention where he was from or what his time was. His name was mispronounced. “Ir was a really frustrating end to an otherwise awesome day.” marathon last month. However, Dutson took the insult in stride. He says he’s used to it. What he’s also accustomed to is scrambling for funding to support his blos- soming, race carcer. Dutson estimates his 10-month season costs $50,000, and with just five sponsors on board, he’s desperate to find a large corporate patron. Oakley Canada, Sugoi, Gold’s Gym North Vancouver and Capilano College support Dutson in the way of equipment, clothing and gym time. His employer, B.C. Injury Prevention Centre, is also a strong, supporter of his race carecs, You’d think a university educated man who commits much of his time to talking to kids and adults about injury prevention and motivation wouldn’t have much difficulty in finding a big bank, airline, telecommunications or forestry company to kick in some bucks. He’s pur together a glossy marketing package and is knocking on doors, but no luck yer. He’s hoping last month’s victory in Northern California will change thar. At the 42.2 kilometre California International Marathon (CIM) last month, Dutson put together his best-ever race, from leading into the first cor- ner in Folsom to breaking, the finish-line banner in front of the Sacramento State Capital building. Along the way he traded position with a San Diego MURDER victim Mo Mirhadi (left), Accused killer Michael Caster, 21, cn trial in New Westminster. said Brown, She said “a guy" then helped htt the large, muscu- lar Mirhadi our of his seat. Ambulance paramedics and police soon arrived. Brown said female police officer told her 10 go either to the hospital or the police station. She went outside the Famous Plavers Esplanade 6 on Chestertield and West Esp! inade and tned to remember where she had parked the car. Brown then drove Mirhadi’s mother. “PE said vou just have to some now .... Thad to tell Mo's mom. She knew already something bad (had happened.) said Brown, . Brown; Mirhadi’s mother, Shahrazad; Mirhadi's sister, Naz; ta the North Vancouver heme of Wednesday, January 13. 1999 — North Shore News - 3 atal shots mae abour wheter she worked asa prostitute a bovtrcid’s death “Dietine prostitute.” said Brown “When vou worked tor Madanime Cle s vent did not accept money tor sex?” said Ade Murray o Neo. did other things mind vou.” said Brown Brown sad she worked asa Thostess” ar Madanime Clea’s Massage parlor Brown had gone out with Mirhadi a year. Brows testified that on the day of the shooting, she aad Mirbads woke up about 2 or 3 pam. aner spending the night together ar Mirhadi’s home where he Hved with bis mother and sister, Brown testified that they tafged about doing “collections” which she said “possibly” meant coilecting drug debty. Mirhadi sold cocaine. 8rown testified she had nor witnessed any cocaine transactions involving her boyfriend. Buton the day of the shooting, Brown drove an unlicensed Mirhadi around where he collected $1,500 cash trom “Jay in Lynn Valley” and amanin Port Coquitlam. Brown testitied that Mirhadi left the $1,500 in his wallet-like organizer in the car when it was parked in the movie theatre's underground lot. She testified thar after the shooting she took $500 out of the organizer to pay for her mother to come from Calgary. Brown testitied she gave the organizer and the remain- ing $1,006 to Mirhadi'’s half-brother, Babak Mirhadi. On cross-examination, Brown denied MeMurray’s sugges- tion that she had taken the $1,560 from the pocket of the faral- iv wounded Mirhadi before eeing the theatre. Brown testified that she was certain that Caster had killed her boyfriend. She iestified that when she and Mirhadi went up the escalator to the seaond-tloor theatre, Mirhadi pointed our nwo men behind them. Mirhadi said he had yotten into a fight with the smaller man three days before, on a Wednesday, at a raall. ALISTAIR Dutson turns a corner during fast year’s Boston Marathon. The 26-year-old Norih Van athlete won his first Mirhadi’s former girlfriend Renee Pathon, along with the rhree- month-old baby she had had with Mirhadi, all went to Lions Gate Hospital, Mirhadi’s dead body arrived about 20: minutes later. Under cross-examination by Caster’s lawyer Paul McMurray, lling with the punches ta : my i : ° racer, and heading into the final 100 ae ‘ ard ; metres made his move. He won by three seconds. . “Tr was an awesame way to finish a long hard season,” he said, recalling that his schedule had taken him through 32 states and a number of provinces. “The last time [had the hole shot and the lead in a race was in the 1997 Vancouver International Marathon,” he recalled. ° Mechanical problems got the bet- ter of him at the 25k mark on thar day, forcing him to stop and make a complete tre change with the help of his father Colin, who had been dri- ving beside him and veiline encour agement. Alistair continued on but experienced more equipment prod lems which resulted in’ two more stops, , “T finished second in the end and he was there for me all the way,” Dutson said of his father, “that was the closess Pd come to a win up to that point.” : Four days following the Vancouver International Marathon Colin Dutson died from a massive heart attack. The North Shore Waldorf School co-founder was 5-4. The memory still chokes Alistair up. After a deep breath he continued: “The really hard part was he was one of my biggest supporters.” Anyone who has spent even a few minutes with Dutson knows he is a determined man. The 1991 motocross accident that feft him paralyzed. from the chest down may have changed his aspira- tions — “My decided career path was to be a professional motorsports racer.” —— but it didn't cut off his feeling for the need for speed. Likewise, the sudden death of his greatest supporter may have knocked the then-24-year-old down. But he got nght up again. He dedicated last month’s CIM win to his father’s memory, “for all his help, support, backing and encouragement to 20 our there and compete.” The Northern Calitornia course reute brought back many good memories for the racer. Dutson spent Grade 1] at the Waldorf School in Fair Oaks and his father took courses at the Rudolf Steiner College next door. As Dutson raced past both institutions on Fair Oaks Boulevard he found strength in those memories. He also found strength from the support of his girlftiend Amy who drove along the course to cheer him on as did the family he stayed with back in Grade IL. “E called them the night before the race to tell them I was in it,” he said. On a number of occasions during the race he heard and saw the family cheer- ing on the roadside. Now that Dutson has his first marathon win under his wheels, he’s ready for the next big challenge — qualifying for the national team and competing in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. “I've got what it takes to go all the way,” he says, adding though, “if T can back it with the dollars.” Marathon Photegraphy Mirhadi said the small man had a pony-tail. Brown testified that she did nor see the small pony-tail until Caster had gore down and then up a theatre aisle beside them before the movie started. The trial continues. Patients’ patience tested Fram page t So Zamyetski sat in che waiting room of Lions Gate Hospital for tive hours before he was seen by a doctor. He was eventually told he had pneumonia. Peter Weiser wanted his son Andre, 14, to see a docter on Monday because he had a high fever and the family was supposed to Hy out of the country ‘Tuesday. “We spent tive hours there and tie se al visit with the doctar was only 10 minutes,” said Weiser. Dale Worwick is more sympa- thetic towards the doctors’ labour action. He was at the hospital on Monday with his 10 4 month old son who had a high fever and seri- ous congestion, “My doctor can only see patients for three days before he starts getting penalized. He doesn’t make much more than me,” said Worwick, an apartment manager. ” Bur Worwick admits he would rather go to his family doctor hecause his doctor knows his son’s medical history. Said the BCMA’s Lane, “We understand the public are having te wait, bur it’s not just during reduced activity days, it’s year round. It is a system of waiting.” Medical staff were busy at Lions Gate Hospital, but in good shape said Dr. Stew Madill, vice president of medicine at the hospi- tal. The reduced action days have forced Lions Gate Hospital to delay all clective surgeries and per- form emergency surgery only. The hospital normally per- forms 45 to 50 surgeries a day. Madill is concerned about patients having to wait even longer. Two more series of reduced activity days are planned later this year, from Feb. 22 to 25 and March 15 to 19. North Shore doctors are avail- able for emergencies during the reduced days of action just as they are on weekends and holidays.