'Spider-man' takes stand in his own defence in grow-op murder trial
Shawn Vassel earned the nickname 'Spider-Man' a decade ago for his death-defying journey down the side of a Toronto apartment tower to evade police trying to arrest him for murder.
And this week Vassel took the stand in his own defense in another murder trial to tell an Ontario Superior Courtroom he's not a killer.
Vassel said he was just the lookout in a robbery of a grow-op in a commercial building on Millwork Drive and Millvan Drive in May 2019, and was surprised when someone handed him a gun.
He denied shooting anybody — except at the minivan that a video played in court shows driving at him shortly after the robbery is over.
“I saw him speeding, pedal to the metal, trying to hit me with his car…I was pointing the gun at him. He didn’t care, so I fired it,” Vassel testified.
But prosecutors said Vassel brought a gun to the grow-op robbery, and knew what he was doing in the attack, when Justin Kyle Ezeard was killed.
Frank Schembri says the video doesn’t show Vassel in shock, or fleeing after he dodges the speeding van — just walking calmly as he stuffs the gun into his pocket.
“He’s not worried, he’s not concerned, he has protection, which is his gun,” said crown attorney Frank Schembri.
The attack by the minivan was just another time Vassel dodged death. The 37-year-old is no stranger to close calls.
While fleeing police, accused of one murder in 2008, he climbed down 11 floors outside of his mother’s apartment tower at Jane and Finch. He was eventually captured at the nearby Jane Finch mall.
A bemused judge asked if he had “Spider-man webs” during his trial for the murder of Husam Dagheim in the parking lot of the Coliseum movie theatre near Square One in Mississauga. He was convicted in that case — but the conviction was overturned.
In July of 2019, he had his closest brush yet, shot in the back, and paralyzed from the waist down in a gun battle at Queen and Ossington, just a few months after the grow-op robbery. Three people died, and the neighbourhood was terrified.
The morning after the grow-op was robbed, one victim emerged bleeding from the head. He called 9-1-1 from a nearby cafe.
“I got a break-in, I got smashed in the head, knocked out, and, boom, I wake up, they tried to shoot me, I got out of the way, they shot someone else,” the man says on a 911 tape entered into exhibits.
Ezeard was killed. Police found his body found among the marijuana leaves.
Vassel told the court that Ezeard was actually a close friend.
It’s not clear who was driving the minivan.
Vassel faces charges of murder, discharge of firearm, robbery, and possession of firearms with ammunition.
Justice Todd Ducharme is now deliberating in the case.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Five areas Canada's foreign interference commissioner says needs more investigation
Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue released her interim report examining foreign election interference on Friday. Here are five elements of the issue that Hogue says she needs to further probe before she can make conclusions or recommendations.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Why your airfare may be getting more expensive
Skyrocketing airfare prices are linked to heightened competition and rising food and fuel, according to the CAA.
New weight-loss drug Wegovy not a 'magic bullet,' doctor warns
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
2 charged after police find 'concerning and diverse' explosives at Manitoba home
Winnipeg police say they have arrested two people in their 20s after a large amount of explosives were found in a home outside of Winnipeg, Man.