Toronto man sentenced to life with no parole for 16 years in murder of Liberty Village filmmaker, lawyer says

A Toronto man named Khoa Tran has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for 16 years for the murder of his neighbour, Reeyaz Habib, in Liberty Village three years ago, as confirmed by his lawyer. The case came to court on Monday, where Tran was found guilty of second-degree murder in the June 2023 death of Habib, who was 56 years old.

According to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, second-degree murder typically carries a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for a minimum of ten years. The murder case began with an escalating dispute over barbecue smoke wafting from Tran's apartment, which allegedly triggered the brutal killing. Despite being caught on camera disposing of Habib's bike shortly before his body was found in the garbage compactor of a townhouse complex, Tran claimed it was a reaction to a heated argument about the barbecue a few days earlier, describing it as a petty move he now regrets.

Tran's wife, Isabelle Nguyen, 30, was found guilty of accessory to murder and indignity to a human body, and was sentenced to six years in prison, meaning she will serve five years and 4.5 months remaining in the penitentiary with credits for time served.