Canadian True Crime - The Murder of Sina Parsi

Episode Date: May 1, 2020

In 2015, successful construction entrepreneur Sina Parsi left for a soccer game, but didn't return home. An unexpected story would unravel.Look out for early, ad-free release on CTC premium feeds: available on Amazon Music (included with Prime), Apple Podcasts, Patreon and Supercast. Full list of resources, information sources, credits and music credits:See the page for this episode at www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi everyone, I hope you're doing well. Well, as well as can be expected right now. It's crazy time, so I hope you're going easy on yourself and practicing a bit of self-care. Remember, you're no good to anyone else unless you take care of yourself. So, I'm coming to you with my tail between my legs. Right after I promise that I would never make you wait for two weeks between multi-part episodes again, it turns out that the next case is also a multi-parter. I can definitely do one of these a month, but I can't do two of them right now while my kids are at home because it might put my marriage in jeopardy. So today's episode is a Patreon episode. It's a fairly straightforward story, so that's why it's a shorter episode, but it's every bit as heart-wrenching as all of the

other cases. And this allows me to buy myself some much-needed time to plan a bit better, which I've never had. And then on May the 15th, will be part one of the next two-parter, which again will only be a week apart. So for two months in a row, you will have three episodes of Canadian True Crime. Now, if you're a patron and have listened to today's episode already, I apologize, but head to Patreon to find out what's next for you. And I'm sorry for being annoying. I do have the best intentions and I'm always trying to improve, but at the end of the day, I'm still an indie podcaster and I really underestimated how much this whole virus thing would cramp my style. So, as always, thanks for your patience and your understanding.

And on that note, it's on with the show. This podcast contains course language, adult themes, and content of a violent and disturbing nature. Listener discretion is advised. It was June 9, 2015, in a village called Kleimberg, about 45 minutes drive northwest of Toronto. Roya and Sina Parsi, a married couple. in their early 30s, each had plans for the night. Roya was planning on an overnight visit with her family, and her husband, Sina, was headed out to a game with some friends.

He was an avid soccer player and fan. In fact, they were both soccer fans and enjoyed watching games together. By all accounts, they were a happy, loving couple who had been married for five years and had plans to start a family. But now they were enjoying. some independence. Roya said goodbye to Sina. Although her husband would be home later, she was staying the night with her family, so they knew they wouldn't be seeing each other again until the next day. As Roya left the house, Sina told her that she looked beautiful

and complimented her on the smell of her new perfume. The next day, Roya couldn't get hold of Sina. She had returned home, but he wasn't there. She was worried, and so too were the employees of the successful roofing construction firm that he owned. When Roya found out that Sina hadn't turned up for work either, she knew that something must have been terribly wrong, because everyone who knew Sina knew it was out of character for him not to be where he said he was going to be. She found out that Sina had been at the soccer game and had left as usual, but no one saw him after that.

When Roya got hold of Sena's family to tell them that she hadn't heard anything, they immediately suspected her of being involved in his disappearance. Roya was taken aback by the allegations and immediately called the police to report her husband missing. She explained that Sina worked hard at the success of his firm and that this just wasn't something he would ever do. She feared that some type of great harm had come his way. This is Christy and you're listening to Canadian True Crime, Episode 66.

The police took the situation very seriously and started chasing leads to see if they could find the missing entrepreneur. They traced his cell phone signal and the next day it led them to the parking lot of a strip mall in the city of Toronto, about 25 minutes drive south of where Sina was last seen. There, close to the Tim Hortons, they found his black Dodge Ram pickup truck. With this discovery, they had to strengthen their efforts in the investigation. The homicide unit took over, even though at that time they still considered it a missing person's investigation. The unit began tracking 32-year-old Sena's whereabouts. First by looking at security surveillance footage taken from Tim Hortons.

He parked his car and then footage showed him walking through the parking lot, past his truck and down the road towards a wooded area. This was at about 1120pm. Next, someone found Sena's wallet in that wooded area, which is known as Smith Park, and turned it in. Bank records showed that $400 had been withdrawn from his account. On the Friday, three days after Sina was last seen, police released details to the public, asking anyone with information to call York Regional Police or Crime Stoppers. Sina was described as

Middle Eastern, five foot six inches tall with a tanned complexion, a slim build and short black hair. When he was last seen at soccer, he was wearing a blue polo shirt and black jogging pants. But police said he may have had a change of clothes with him. Investigators went on to say that they believed Sina didn't have his cell phone on him. He hadn't made contact with friends or family since he was last seen. Sina's wife, Roya, spoke to the media at the scene on Friday. This is very, it's a very severe situation that he would come 11.30 right after soccer game to this area and walk in this area. the camera shows that he parked the car, the truck, and he walked south towards the park.

And that was the last scene from the camera. She said she was trying her best to stay positive and hopeful. Quote, he's my husband, my best friend, he's everything to me, I just want him healthy and alive. I'm not going to think of anything else. I just want him healthy. Meanwhile, police had been gathered. CCTV footage from the area to track Sina's movements after he looked to be going into the wooded area. They soon spotted him near the park, where he met up with two people.

In the footage, you could see they began walking together, and he was then seen willingly entering an apartment building with them. It didn't take long before police found out the identities of the two people that Sina was seen with. They were a couple called Sabrina and Clyde and had been living in an apartment together on the eighth floor of the building for about two years. First priority for investigators was to get into that apartment. No one was home, so they had to force entry, and what they found inside the apartment both shocked and alarmed them.

It was the body of Sina Parsi. After devastating Sina's wife and her, family with the news that his body had been found, the police needed to move fast to locate Clyde and Sabrina. They also had to find out how the couple knew Sina, why he was there in the first place, and of course what had happened to him. They announced to the public that Sina's body had been found and that arrest warrants for first-degree murder had been issued for two people who were on the run. Clyde Marshall was described as 36 years old, six feet tall, 145 pounds with brown hair, blue eyes,

and a tattoo on the right side of his neck and arm. His companion Sabrina Schuart was described as 27 years old, 5'7, 130 pounds with brown hair. Clyde was originally from New Brunswick and Sabrina from Quebec. Police said they were believed to be traveling together and might also have a large breed dog with them, adding that there was more information to come. They urged the public to contact police immediately if anyone saw them or knew where they were. Social media posts from law enforcement agency started using the hashtag Sabrina and Clyde,

and media soon followed suit. Public interest in the case was high. The next day, the police staged a press conference. This is Detective Sean Mahoney from the Toronto Police Service. Good afternoon. We're here to update you on the investigation into the death of Mr. Asina Parsi. We are releasing video surveillance of footage on this video surveillance is captured the two offenders that are depicted as they walk the hallway in that building.

These two are the wanted parties, Sabrina Shepard. showart and Clyde Marshall. We have come to learn that Mr. Marshall is also uses the name Marcus, Marcus Marshall. We have had numerous tips of sightings of these two individuals. However, we have not verified at this time any of those sightings. We are asking for people to pay attention to the clothing of these two offenders, as this is the clothing we believe they are wearing at this time. The footage shown of the hallway was taken on the Wednesday morning at 4.10 a.m. Remember, Sina had last been seen walking into the wooded area at 1120 the night before, just five hours beforehand. Police confirmed that Sina was inside the apartment,

when Clyde Marshall and Sabrina Schuart left and walked down to the elevators, although they wouldn't confirm whether he was dead or alive, at the time. In the footage, Sabrina was seen walking down the hall towards the elevator, wearing baggy black pants, white sneakers with red laces, and a bulky blue anorak-type jacket with a hood. Clyde was first seen walking behind her, wearing a black hoodie and baggy jeans, and they had a brown bullmastiff dog with them on a leash. They both had backpacks on their backs. In the footage, you can see Sabrina go back into the apartment quickly, seemingly to get something she'd forgotten, while Clyde reaches down to tie his shoelace. Sabrina gets what she'd forgotten and then walks back down the hall towards him.

The camera shows clear, high-resolution close-up shots of their faces. Detective Mahoney went on to say he believed Sina entered Clyde and Sabrina's apartment at around midnight, but refused to discuss his cause of death, implying that it was holdback evidence, which is of course information or detail which is unique to the investigation and would only be known to the killer or killers. Detective Mahoney also refused to comment on how Sina and the fugitive couple even knew each other. He went on to say, These individuals aren't terribly sophisticated and added that they like to be. likely wouldn't leave the country.

He did mention there'd been unverified sightings of them further north in Ontario and then in Winnipeg, Manitoba. And because they had the large brown dog, they would be easier to spot, he said. Although this would mean that they couldn't travel by bus or train, so would likely need to hitchhike. He also added that Clyde had an extensive criminal record with a long history of violence, and both were to be considered armed and dangerous. The police warned the public not to approach them.

Behind the scenes, the fact that the couple didn't attempt to hide or dispose of Sena's body gave police a new concern. This is often common with suspects that go on a crime spree, and the fear was that this murder was the beginning of a spree killing. The dog being with them was a positive as it made the same. them more identifiable. But it was soon discovered that they'd already abandoned their dog in Toronto within blocks of leaving their apartment.

Several days earlier, the dog had been taken to animal services in West Toronto after a passerby saw it tied to a post outside a shop, along with a bag of dog food. It didn't take the police long to match the dog with the one that Sabrina and Clyde had been seen with. And without their dog, the couple could move more freely. In the meantime, Sabrina's father, Marseille Schuart, spoke to the media from his home in Quebec. Tearfully, he described his daughter as sweet and caring and of good moral character.

He added that this was before she met Clyde Marshall. He stated that he found it hard to believe that she would be involved in the violent death of another person, and the only bad thing he could say about her was that she had bad choices in boyfriends. Marciel said he and Sabrina were very close when she was a kid, but the last few years they'd had a tense relationship. He added that Sabrina had completely changed. According to Marciel, Sabrina met Clyde when she worked at a Tim Horton's restaurant in Ottawa

that was near a homeless shelter. He described Clyde as street smart. Clyde was controlling and abusive towards Sabrina, and he tried to keep her away from her family. Marcelle said that he hadn't spoken to his daughter for about four months because Clyde controlled all aspects of Sabrina's life, including how and when she interacted with her family. The last time he spoke to her was when she had sneaked out of the apartment

to call her father from a pay phone and wish him a happy birthday. Marciao Schuart went on to say that Sabrina would often have to call him on borrowed cell phones, so Clyde didn't see his number show up on their phone bill. I'd just like to tell her that I love her, and I always will love her, and then I'd like her to give herself up and face the consequences of what she did. I think it's a normal thing to do. She cannot run forever. So Sabrina, please give yourself a phone. You can't hide as we hurt.

Just got to do it. You just can't hide, sweetheart. When asked how he felt about Sina Parsi's family, Marciel said, I feel very sorry for that family. I feel very, very sad for them. Nothing new came from the case for the next few days. The public speculated.

Some people had the theory that it may have been a drug transaction gone wrong. because Clyde Marshall was known to sell drugs. However, Sina's family and friends insisted that he was not an illegal drug user. They said there had to be another motive for the crime. On Monday, June 22nd, 13 days after Sina was last seen, the Toronto Police staged another news conference to renew interest in the case. This is Detective Sergeant Michael Patterson.

Since last week, we've learned quite a bit about Clyde and Sabrina. Clyde has a long history of violence when he's been in custody and out of custody. Clyde is not afraid of authority and has used violence against officers in the past. He's knowing to carry a knife at all times and will use it if confronted. He should be considered armed and dangerous. We've had hundreds of tips come in, and we're still following up on many of them. At this point, none of the tips have amounted to a confirmation of the whereabouts of Clyde and Sabrina. We're asking the public, do not engage in the practice of picking up hitchhikers.

It's already a dangerous enough practice, especially with these two on the loose. And this message is directly to Clyde and Sabrina if you're listening. There's only one way to end this properly, and that is by turning yourself in. Get yourself a lawyer, take their advice, and come and talk to me. I'm willing to listen to your side. He went on to say that Clyde Marshall had a dark history and came from a family riddled with violence and abuse. Sabrina didn't have a criminal history, although police said they learned some pertinent information about her family background, that they weren't willing to share, and they never did.

It was confirmed that the police believed she was a willing participant in Sina's murder. The police released the footage, which showed Sina, Clyde and Sabrina walking from the main road and into the apartment building at around midnight. Sabrina walked between the two men. They looked friendly and it was clear that Sina was entering the apartment freely and without coercion. Detective Sergeant Patterson confirmed that when the couple

left the apartment four hours later, Sina was dead. Police hoped that by showing what Sina was wearing and that he was with Sabrina and Clyde, it might jog the memory of anyone who may have encountered them along the five to seven minute walk

from the parking lot to their apartment. The public were again asked to come forward with any information they might have on how Sina and the couple might know each other. They knew from their investigation that Sina went willingly with the couple, but they were still unsure of the connection between the parties. Police also said that they were still investigating a motive and whether or not the murder was planned or spontaneous. They indicated that Clyde and Sabrina were involved in drug trafficking,

but couldn't say whether that was related to the motive for Sena's murder. On Monday, June 22nd, 2015, almost two weeks after Sena Parsi was last seen, there was a breakthrough. A shopper was at a Walmart at Niagara Falls, about two hours drive from Toronto, and spotted Sabrina and Clyde shopping in the store. Niagara Regional Police were called and the fugitive couple were called, and the fugitive couple were arrested without incident and charged with first-degree murder. Toronto police then drove down, picked them up and brought them back to Toronto. It was discovered that the day they were seen fleeing their apartment building, the day they

ditched their dog, they hopped on a bus to Niagara Falls and had been camping in a tent in a nearby park ever since. The next day, after Clyde and Sabrina were arraigned, Seena's wife, and her lawyer gave an interview outside a Toronto courthouse. Her lawyer, Jeff Pollock, began the interview, with Roya content to just stand beside him. He stated that she and Sina were a happily married couple for five years and hoped to start a family together someday, which made burying Sina just one day before Father's Day especially difficult to bear. He went on to describe how Sina and Roya were living the Canadian dream with everything to look forward to together

when his life was tragically cut short. Roya then decided to speak. The utter devastation was written all over her face as she began by thanking the police and the public for helping to catch the people allegedly responsible for her husband's murder. Sina was a wonderful man. He was caring. He was love of my life.

He was my best friend. It was everything to me. He had a very great sense of humor. And I missed him so, so, so much. Behind the scenes, Roya Parsi had suffered greatly in the days that followed her husband's disappearance. Her in-laws at first believe she'd murdered Sina, and disposed of his body.

And even when they discovered that there were other people involved, his family believed that they were hired by Roya to kill her husband. The next day, Sabrina's father, Marseille Schuart, called in to the Toronto son with his thoughts after his daughter and her boyfriend had been caught. Quote, it's a numb feeling. You watch things unroll. You feel numb.

It's not my daughter. It can't be her. her. It's just numbness, I guess. I was worried for her well-being. Besides that, I could imagine that it might be a bit of relief for the Parsi family. He had traveled to Toronto to pick up the couple's dog that had been abandoned, saying that he liked knowing that he had Sabrina's dog. It gave him a feeling of being close to her. He didn't know the dog's name, so he was calling it Sab, until his daughter could tell him the dog's real name. He stated his reasons for adopting the dog,

quote, To make Sabrina feel a little better that her dog wasn't abandoned, that somebody from the family has him. I suppose that would make her happy, not that it's going to change anything in her life right now. In April of 2016, nearly a year after Clyde Marshall and Sabrina Schuart had first been arrested, the police announced that they had laid additional charges on the pair,

possession of an access to child sexual abuse images or child pornography. The images were discovered when the police had reviewed the couple's electronic devices and computer hard drives as part of the investigation. As we know, often the details of the police investigation, including motive and what actually happened, don't come out until the trial. So still, the public and no doubt Roya Parsi and Sina's family still didn't know exactly what was going on. In September of 2017, over two years after Sina Parsi's murder, Sabrina Schuart and Clyde Marshall both pleaded guilty to murder, Clyde to first-degree murder and Sabrina to second degree.

In an agreed-upon statement of facts, the Crown lawyer Sean Hogan shared the long-awaited details of the night that took Sina Parsi's life. It appeared from the evidence that Sina had placed an ad on Craigslist, looking for a couple to help fulfil a fantasy of his to engage in a threesome, which was to include light elements of bondage with himself in the submissive role. The Crown explained there was no indication that he'd done this before, and unfortunately, he encountered the wrong people with deadly and tragic consequences. Sina had little in common with the couple other than a mutual desire to engage in consensual sex with strangers. Unbeknownst to his wife, Sina had made secret arrangements

to meet up with Sabrina and Clyde in the parking lot of the Tim Horton's near their apartment. They instructed him to leave his pickup truck in the parking lot, and he followed their instructions from there. The Crown shared that while Sina thought he would get a night filled with pleasure, he instead got a night of being robbed, tortured, bound and extorted. The Crown started with the story at the beginning of the night, when Sina was out with friends after a soccer game. He abruptly left after getting a message from the couple

in response to his personal ad on Craigslist. From the video that was released, the public already knew he met the couple at the Tim Hortons, the first time they'd ever met and the three of them walked together back to their apartment. Text messages revealed that the agreement was for a threesome with all parties consenting and with Sina agreeing to have his wrists bound to the bed. After the consensual portion of the sexual activities were over,

Clyde unexpectedly attacked Sina. The Crown lawyer stated, quote, At one point a dark, colored hood or bag was placed over his head. Mr. Marshall took pictures and videos of these events. Sina was bound by the neck, wrists, ankles, body and scrotum. The crown went on to discuss Sina's injuries. The rope was tied extremely tight, restricting blood flow to his extremities. Sina was also viciously beaten in the face, head, chest and abdomen. Some of his injuries included a broken nasal bone, a broken neck bone

and bleeding on the brain. The crown also stated that while it was Clyde Marshall, who killed Sina. It was Sabrina Schuart who aided and abetted him in confining the man, knowing full well that Clyde's likely intention was to kill him all along. At some point they forced Sina to give up his PIN number and they withdrew $400 from his bank account before going on the run for 11 days. It's unknown if robbery was the motive all along.

During sentencing, Justice John McMahon explained that Sabrina Schuart was complicit in luring Sina Parsi to his death after promises of casual sex with her and her living boyfriend Clyde Marshall. The judge believed that the motive was to torture Sina and extort him out of his ATM card and pincode, which enabled them to withdraw the $400 from his account. Justice McMahon called it, quote, the brutal, sadistic killing of a defenseless, naked and bound man. The terror he must have felt in the hours before his death is unimaginable. He didn't die a quick and painless death.

He went on to call Sabrina a willing accomplice who lured him to his death by the offer of sex. But ultimately, it was Clyde Marshall who caused Sina Baxter. Parsi's death by ligature strangulation and blunt forced trauma to his face and body. Justice McMahon discussed the pain and repercussions they both caused to Sina's wife Roya, stating, Her life has become a nightmare that won't end. Her husband's family has wrongly blamed her for his homicide and disowned her. She is completely without blame, and those who wish to blame her should take a look in the mirror.

Clyde Marshall decided to give a statement and spoke directly to Roya Parsi at his hearing. He stated, An innocent man died a painful, brutal death and his widow's life was destroyed. Your husband did not deserve what happened to him, and part of my reason for pleading guilty was to avoid you further suffering for having to go through the trial. I wanted you to know why this happened, but I can't explain. it to myself. I did a horribly terrible thing. For that, I'll go to prison. During a moving victim impact statement, Sina Parsi's widow, Roya stated in part, quote, I was accused of

murdering my own husband. People made up versions of the story. Sina's family abandoned me after his passing, blaming me for not being a good wife and not doing enough to save him. It was out of my control. I loved my husband dearly and do so today and every day from this day forward, but he was the unfortunate victim of a heinous act at the merciless and vile hands of Clyde Marshall and Sabrina Schuart. No amount of apologies and explanations from the deranged and twisted minds of these two could ever ease the pain and suffering I'm going through. Sina was my best friend and my love and he will be in my heart forever until we meet again.

I learned a lot of good things from him and even with his absence he helped me transform my life to be a better and stronger woman. Roya Parsi stated that because of this horrific event, she lost her vision of a future family, her share in a roofing business that her husband spent 10 years building from scratch, as well as her dream home in the countryside. She stated that she thinks of the night her husband died often, and it upsets her greatly. She also told the court,

My heart and soul would ache an unbearable pain when I would think about what happened to him that night, when he was taken away from me. I won't be the same person again, and the absence of Sena's love in my heart will be with me until I die. She also told the court that she thought about taking her own life many times, but a good friend talked her out of it. And with that concluded, Justice McMahon passed down sentencing.

38-year-old Clyde Marshall was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years. 30-year-old Sabrina Schuart was also sentenced to life, but her parole ineligibility period was 13 years because she had pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree murder. In a statement to CBC Toronto, one of Clyde Marshall's lawyers, Alana Page, said that he had the most tragic history she'd ever heard.

She didn't expand on why or what that had to do with the murder of Sina Paijord. Parsi. She did say that he recognised that he did a horrible thing and then pleaded guilty in part to make sure that Roya Parsi wouldn't have to suffer through a prolonged trial and neither would Clyde's own children. She had revealed that Clyde Marshall is a father, although nothing more has been publicly revealed about this. Quote, not many people plead guilty to first degree murder, given the inevitable sentence of life in prison with no parole eligibility for 25 years. Sadly, even after all of the events came to light, Sina Parsi's family still blamed their son's wife, Roya, for his death. They believed that if she'd been a better wife and stayed home that night, he never would have been in

the situation that brought about his death. Nothing further has been said in the media about Roya or the case since that date. Thanks for listening. This episode was researched and written by Stephanie Moore and I, or is that Stephanie Moore and me? And the audio production was by We Talk of Dreams, who also wrote the theme song. The host of the Beyond Bazaar True Crime podcast voiced the disclaimer.

I'll see you soon with another Canadian true crime story.