![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/70c8fc80.png\")
<\/p>\nThe trial has begun for a Toronto couple charged with killing their neighbour.<\/p>\n
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Filmmaker Reeyaz Habib\u2019s<\/a> decomposing body was found in a garbage compactor<\/a> in the underground parkade of the Liberty Village<\/a> condominium complex, where Habib and the accused lived nearly three years ago.<\/p>\n More than day after the body was discovered, the Toronto Police Service put a bulletin on social media that 53-year-old Habib was missing from the area.<\/p>\n Khoa Tran is charged with second-degree murder and Tran\u2019s wife, Quynh (Isabelle) Nguyen, is charged with being an accessory after the fact and doing an indignity to the body.<\/p>\n The Crown alleges Nguyen, knowing that her husband had killed Habib, assisted with the disposal of Habib\u2019s body.<\/p>\n Tran, 36, and Nguyen, 30, have each pleaded not guilty.<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n It is an agreed fact that at the time of Habib\u2019s death, there was tension between Habib and Tran over Tran\u2019s use of his barbecue.<\/p>\n Habib, who graduated from the School for Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, had lived alone in his condo at 26 Western Battery Rd. for roughly a decade when his body was discovered.<\/p>\n In the opening address to the jury Tuesday, assistant Crown prosecutor Nathaniel Smith said that Habib\u2019s body was found by a cleaner searching for cans on June 8th, 2023.<\/p>\n Smith said Habib lived in the condo directly above the townhouse where the married couple lived and Habib didn\u2019t like how the barbecue smoke rose up towards his unit.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tGet daily National news<\/p>\n Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you’ll never miss the day’s top stories.<\/p>\n Other neighbours and Habib\u2019s nephew are expected to testify that in the weeks leading up to the murder, the barbecue caused tension for Habib.<\/p>\n The Crown said evidence will be heard that in the early morning hours of June 6, 2023, screams for help were heard throughout the complex, which woke people up.<\/p>\n A woman visiting from Vietnam who was staying with the couple is expected to testify that she was awakened by the screams and thought the screams were coming from the unit above. She is expected to tell the jury that Nguyen assured her that Habib was likely filming and she should go back to sleep.<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n Smith said the visitor is expected to testify Tran was nowhere to be seen and she went back to sleep.<\/p>\n Smith said on June 6, 2023, Habib didn\u2019t show up for a scheduled tennis match with a friend.<\/p>\n \u201cText messages went unanswered and he was never seen alive or heard from again,\u201d said Smith.<\/p>\n On June 8, 2023, the day Habib\u2019s body was found, the prosecutor told the jury it was wrapped in duct tape, blankets and towels.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo notes on white paper surrounded Mr. Habib\u2019s body,\u201d said Smith.<\/p>\n One read, \u201cCan someone life this into the trash? Very heavy.\u201d The other said, \u201cPlease do not open. Lots of sharp metal and glass inside from renovations. (Don\u2019t worry, we wrapped it in fabric.)\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore on Crime Smith said a forensic pathologist who conducted an autopsy on Habib\u2019s decomposing body is expected to testify that his cause of death was difficult to determine due to a number of pre- and post-death injuries.<\/p>\n After the discovery of the body, Smith said police began their investigation. Two fingerprint experts are expected to testify \u2014 one who found a fingerprint on one of the notes that matched Tran\u2019s fingers and another expert who found a fingerprint on duct tape on the material around Habib\u2019s body that also matched Tran\u2019s.<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n The jury will also hear from a DNA expert who is expected to testify that the couple cannot be excluded as contributors to a DNA mixture found on the duct tape on a blanket surrounding Habib.<\/p>\n The Crown told the jury they will hear that after Habib\u2019s death, his key fob was used to access the garage which contained the compactor.<\/p>\n Smith told jurors that a day after Habib\u2019s body was found, police and Habib\u2019s nephew went into his condo and found there were noticeable changes inside, including white sheets that were hung on the windows.<\/p>\n According to a lengthy agreed statement of facts, Habib had complained about the smoke emanating from Tran\u2019s balcony and spoke to others about the issue.<\/p>\n Tran agreed to warn Habib before he was going to use the barbecue by text messaging him and did so on a number of occasions in the months leading up to Habib\u2019s death.<\/p>\n On May 20, 2023, two-and-a-half weeks before the body was discovered, Tran was outside barbecuing with the friend who was visiting from Vietnam. Habib was angry and asked Tran to move the barbecue away from his door, before slamming it shut.<\/p>\n It is also a fact that police were able to do forensic extractions from Tran\u2019s cellphone and found that on May 30, 2023, he had searched \u201cmixing vinegar and bleach.\u201d<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n The trial is expected to last four weeks.<\/p>\n \n\t\t© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The trial has begun for a Toronto couple charged with killing their neighbour. Filmmaker Reeyaz Habib\u2019s decomposing body…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":650530,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[49,48,2169,241622,239783,44,80129],"class_list":["post-650529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-crime","tag-garbage-compactor","tag-liberty-village","tag-news","tag-toronto-crime"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=650529"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650529\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/650530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=650529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=650529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=650529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Get](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767930311_275_national.jpg\")
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