Hamilton man guilty of stabbing Kitchener woman to death can’t apply for parole until 2033 | CBC News

A Hamilton, Ont., man found guilty in the stabbing death of his former girlfriend in her Kitchener apartment in April 2017 will not be able to apply for parole until 2033, a judge has ruled.

Ager Hasan, 30, began his jail time on July 11, 2017, which means technically it will be 16 years before he can apply for parole. The judge ordered him to give his DNA. Hasan will also have a weapon’s prohibition for life and he cannot communicate with Melinda’s family.

Melinda Vasilije, 22, was killed in her Kitchener apartment on April 28, 2017. She was stabbed 47 times by Hasan, her former boyfriend — 27 of those times in her neck and she had six stab wounds to her chest.

Hasan has never denied he killed Vasilije — he attempted to plead guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter at the start of the trial, but the Crown rejected his plea. In May 2023, he was found guilty of second-degree murder.

Being found guilty of second-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 10 to 25 years. It was up to Jusice Gerry Taylor to determine when Hasan would be eligible for parole.

‘The day she died, I was destroyed,’ mother says

Earlier this month, Taylor heard victim impact statements from Vasilije’s friends and family, including her mother, Anna Todorovic, who said Vasilije wanted to marry and have a family.

“I’ll never get to hold her babies,” Todorovic said. “The day she died, I was destroyed.”

Hasan also spoke at his sentencing hearing and apologized.

“There are zero excuses for taking one’s life,” he said.

Hasan went to U.S. after stabbing

The case received a lot of media attention in 2017 because of Hasan’s actions after Vasilije was stabbed. Hasan did not call 911 or for help, but instead left her apartment and drove across the border into the U.S. where he remained for more than two months.

He was in contact with police and it was believed he posted to social media websites including Instagram and Reddit.

During the sentencing hearing, Taylor was also told by the Crown that it was believed Hasan messaged Vasilije’s mother using a fake Facebook account telling her it was “partially your fault” Vasilije had died and “oh well you have other daughters.”

Hasan was arrested in San Antonio, Texas, on July 11, 2017 by Secret Service agents as part of a dark web counterfeit currency investigation. 

Hasan’s lawyer Scott Reid told the court his client had worked to better himself while incarcerated.

“There is a significant potential for rehabilitation,” Reid said, noting there appears to be a lot of support from Hasan’s family to ensure he remains committed to improving himself.