TORONTO — A couple wanted in the killing of a Toronto-area man faced first-degree murder charges Tuesday after a two-week hunt that sparked reports of sightings across Canada.
Clyde Marshall, formerly of New Brunswick, and Sabrina Chouart of Gatineau, Que., are accused in the death of Sina Parsi, 32, of Vaughan, Ont., who disappeared after a soccer game on June 9th.
Police said they arrested the pair Monday evening at a Wal-Mart in Niagara Falls, Ont. Shoppers spotted Marshall and Chouart at the superstore and alerted local police, who made the arrest, Toronto Const. Caroline de Kloet said.
There had been numerous unconfirmed sightings across the country — from British Columbia to northern Ontario — but it turns out the couple weren't far from their Toronto home.
Police investigating Parsi's disappearance had said the situation was "less than normal." They found his black Dodge Ram pickup truck two days later at a Tim Hortons parking lot in Toronto's west end. His wallet was found nearby. The following day, they found his body in an apartment about a five-minute walk from where his truck was abandoned.
During the hunt, Toronto police released two videos as Marshall and Chouart became suspects.
In one video, all three were walking toward the apartment building's backdoor just after midnight on June 10. The video shows Parsi pausing to look up at the building before heading inside. The victim went into the apartment "willingly," Det. Sgt. Michael Patterson said.
Sabrina and Clyde left the building a few hours later, Patterson said, leaving Parsi dead inside.
The other video shows Marshall and Chouart leaving the apartment with a big, brown dog. Investigators initially thought Marshall and Chouart would likely be hitchhiking but the dog was found abandoned and tied to a post in Toronto.
Police issued arrest warrants for the couple when Parsi's body was discovered a few days later.
At a news conference before the arrests on Monday, Patterson said he wasn't sure of the nature of the relationship between Parsi and the couple. He did say Marshall had history of violence and a disregard for law enforcement.
The accused were scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
