TORONTO - The father of missing Toronto teen Mariam Makhniashvili pleaded guilty Wednesday to three counts of aggravated assault in a Toronto court.
Vakhtang Makhniashvili, 51, was charged last November with attempted murder, aggravated assault and failure to comply with bail conditions after a man and woman were stabbed in front of their home.
The victims were identified as David and Delores Langer, who had posted bail for Makhniashvili after he was charged with stabbing a 26-year-old neighbour at his apartment building in May 2010.
Makhniashvili's lawyer said Wednesday that an agreed statement of facts would be presented to the court at a hearing on Friday.
Lawyer Calvin Barry said he expected a sentencing hearing would be held about four weeks later and he'd be seeking a jail term of two years less a day.
Mariam Makhniashvili was 17 when she disappeared after arriving at Forest Hill Collegiate on Sept. 14, 2009. The only solid clue was the discovery of her backpack and some school books in a parking lot the following month.
The Makhniashvili family, originally from the Republic of Georgia, had only been in Toronto for three months when their daughter disappeared. The parents lived in Los Angeles for five years before moving to Toronto, while Mariam and her brother lived with their grandparents in Georgia.
Police have received tips of possible sightings of the missing girl from across Canada and beyond, and have urged anyone who knows Makhniashvili's whereabouts to contact police.
