TORONTO — A woman charged in an apparently unprovoked fatal stabbing in Toronto's financial district is expected to stand trial next January.
Rohinie Bisesar is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 28-year-old Rosemarie Junor.
Junor, a newlywed medical technician, died several days after being stabbed at a Shoppers Drug Mart in Toronto's popular underground PATH network of shops and restaurants on Dec. 11, 2015.
During a court appearance in Toronto on Wednesday, a judge scheduled Bisesar's trial to begin on Jan. 8, 2018.
Bisesar's lawyer was also removed from her case during the hearing, at her request, which means she now has to find a new one. It was the second time Bisesar asked for a new lawyer.
The case returns to court on Monday, when the Crown is expected to ask for a psychiatric assessment for Bisesar to determine if she can be found not criminally responsible — a request the woman has already objected to, saying she doesn't have a psychiatric disorder.
Bisesar repeatedly said she was "a good person" and not responsible for Junor's death.
"There's something interacting with me," said Bisesar, who grew emotional in court at times. "I am a victim myself, I didn't ask for this but someone is doing it to me."
Bisesar also complained about her living conditions in jail, alleging she was being mistreated. Justice John McMahon ordered a report on how Bisesar was being fed in jail to be presented to the court.
Junor's older brother said outside court that he was glad a trial date had been set.
"It's been a trying time for all of us," said Richard Junor. "It's just a matter of just waiting."
Security images taken at the time of Junor's stabbing showed a well-dressed, long-haired woman making a hasty retreat from the drugstore. Bisesar was the subject of a manhunt for several days before her arrest.
