Eaton Centre gunman vows revenge in jailhouse letter: Court
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Accused murderer Christopher Husbands vowed to “punish” his foes for “f—— my life up” two months after he fatally shot two men at the Eaton Centre, his second-degree murder trial heard Thursday.
Husbands’ lawyer Dirk Derstine read his client’s letter to his girlfriend in August 2012 in court: “Trust me. If I get convicted and I see any of those guys here (at the Don Jail), I’ll punish them for f—— my life up.
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“They better hope I don’t get convicted because it’s on when I see them in here. They better be willing to kill me without their big crowds the same way when they’re by themselves. I’m losing it right now,” wrote Husbands. He addressed the letter to “Hey gorgeous.”
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Husbands testified he wasn’t plotting revenge but was simply venting his anger at the victims’ friends who had threatened his sister while Husbands was in custody awaiting trial.
Surveillance video from the Urban Eatery food court showed Husbands, with a handgun in his right hand, walking in a crouched position and then firing his weapon, killing Nixon Nirmalendran and Ahmed Hassan, on June 2, 2012.
Husbands testified he didn’t remember the shooting although he vividly recalled seeing Nixon, his brother Nisan Nirmalendran and Hassan “as if they dropped out of nowhere” standing before him as he and his girlfriend, LaChelle John, were buying sushi dinners.
He has conceded he was the gunman, but is asserting he’s not criminally responsible because he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after a knife-attack ambush — perpetrated by Nixon Nirmalendran and his cohorts — the previous February. Husbands has pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and other charges stemming from the shooting.
The prosecution is alleging the shooting was revenge against the men who inflicted 20 stab wounds on Husbands, 29.
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Husbands testified he snapped on the day of the shooting after spotting some of the men responsible for the harrowing knife attack.
The video — played dozens of times at his trial — shows Husbands firing a gun while pursuing Nirmalendran, his brother Nisan Nirmalendran, Hassan, Ahmed Nuri and Robert Cada.
Husbands fled from the mall and took a cab to his downtown apartment, saying he “turned on the TV to CP24 because I wanted to see what was going on. I was sad, confused.
“I guessed there was a shootout at The Eaton Centre. When I learned that Hassan died, I was shocked. I never had a problem with him,” said Husbands.
The trial resumes Friday.
spazzano@postmedia.com
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