Anguished parents identify daughters body in webcam slaying
Anguished parents identify daughter
It took three pairs of hands to gently lead Qian Lius mother out of the coroners office on Thursday.
Her face contorted in anguish and tears streaming down her cheeks, the woman left just before 1 p.m. without speaking to anyone.
She and her husband were at the morgue to identify their daughters body. The daughter for whom they had such high hopes when they sent her to study in Canada; the daughter they believed was destined for bigger things.
Brian Dickson, on the other hand, had a pattern of rarely finishing anything.
For years, the man charged in Lius death dabbled in student politics, social work and acting he did reasonably well but never excelled. Then in January 2006, he was charged with sexual assault. Though the charge was withdrawn three months later, it had an impact on his life.
Dickson, 29, charged in the first-degree murder of the 23-year-old York University student, appeared in court Thursday and was remanded in custody until April 26.
Wearing a white dress shirt and grey pants and showing no emotion, the square-jawed, clean-cut man stood and spoke only to give his name during the two-minute appearance.
He lived in one of several apartments at 27 Aldwinckle Heights near the York University campus. Liu lived in the basement.
Its not known if, or how, the two knew each other.
Dickson, who grew up on Austin Ave., between Pape and Marjory Aves., graduated from Riverdale Collegiate before attending York Universitys McLaughlin College. He enrolled in geopolitics in 2000, co-founded the York model NATO club and was even president of Yorks undergraduate Political Science Council.
He was very active in student leadership, said a friend who served on Yorks student council with Dickson and didnt want his name in the paper.
Im very disturbed, he said.
Dickson is no longer a student at York University, officials said Thursday, adding he doesnt have a degree from the university.
For about six months starting in the fall of 2008, Dickson interned at the Atlantic Council of Canada, a NATO-affiliated foreign policy think tank. He was an assistant to president Julie Lindhout.
He did administrative jobs around here and some research and writing, said Lindhout. He was quite reliable.
He also found time for Developments in Literacy, an organization that established and operated a school for disadvantaged children, particularly girls, in Pakistan.
He is a good guy, a very good guy, said a shocked friend from York. I dont know what is going on.
A former vice-president of the York Federation of Students, whose term overlapped with Dicksons, called him a quiet guy who rarely raised his voice. She said he quit in the fall of 2005, midway through his term as student councillor. No one knows what happened.
In January 2006, Dickson faced a sexual assault charge, which was withdrawn in April. Although they did not know about the charge, friends said they noticed a change in him.
Dickson had a brief run as an amateur actor in 2007, with a role in Anne, a version of Anne of Green Gables, at the Fairview Library Theatre. An InsideToronto.com review at the time found him an appealingly low-key Gilbert Blythe.
Later that year, Dickson had a small part in a play called Who the Hell Started All This? at the indie Summerworks Theatre Festival.
Andy Samide, who also performed in the poorly received show, said Dickson was very nice, he was personable ... he wasnt weird.
Dickson also worked as a poker dealer at the CNE casino at the time, Samide said.
Austin Ave. neighbours of Dicksons parents paint a varied picture.
He seemed okay, said Lorne Hiro. I didnt find anything weird. He was quiet but still social. But Hiro remembers a female friend, who knew Dickson, calling him creepy.
Hiro saw Dicksons parents leaving their house Thursday morning and said they looked distraught and didnt say a word to anyone.
I feel for them, he said. I like them very much.
According to neighbours, Dickson has a 33-year-old brother, Alan.
Hiro and other neighbours said they havent seen Dickson in the neighbourhood for quite a while. He lived with his parents on and off, said another neighbour.
The family home was the subject of a police forensic search on Wednesday and Thursday.
Toronto police said Dickson is known to them but wouldnt elaborate. We have had dealings with him, Const. Tony Vella said.
Before Dicksons hearing started, Justice of the Peace William Danbrook ordered some of the nearly 50 media out of the overcrowded court. The story has captured international attention because part of a struggle Liu had with a man before her death was seen via webcam by her boyfriend in Beijing.
While Dickson appeared in court, Lius parents, along with Chinese consul general Chen Ligang, arrived at Toronto police headquarters, according to Sing Tao Daily.
They met for about an hour with Chief Bill Blair, community liaison officer Const. Bill Chen and homicide Det.-Sgt. Brian Borg, who was the first to contact the parents.
The couple reportedly thanked Blair for making a quick arrest and he promised to do whatever he could to help them reclaim their daughters body. The chief told the parents he could not release details about the investigation because the matter is now before the courts.
At about noon, the couple and Ligang were escorted by Borg and Chen to the coroners office to identify the body, which will likely be released to her parents next week.
Lius body was discovered by two friends and her landlord in her apartment on Friday morning, after they were alerted by Meng Xianchao, her boyfriend in China.
Liu was found naked from the waist down, police said. There were no obvious signs of trauma. Police are awaiting toxicology test results to determine the cause of death.
The Star reported Liu had been stalked by a man, painted as a rejected suitor in a Chinese chatroom. However, police said there is no evidence of criminal stalking.
Liu arrived in Canada in September and lived on Haynes Ave. before moving to the Aldwinckle Heights apartment in January.
Meng told CTV News in Beijing of watching a man try to hug Liu before assaulting her.
He said the webcam conversation with his girlfriend was interrupted when Liu heard a knock at the door at about 1 a.m. Friday. A man entered the apartment and wanted an embrace, but grew aggressive when Liu refused. The webcam was then disconnected.
You can *see* them acting secular although NOT! ..
