MONTREAL - A witness at the murder trial of Alberto Martinez testified Friday that the Cuban immigrant killed restaurant owner Yogarajah Suntharam because of his simmering anger over a petty dispute.
Suntharam, a father of six, was killed on July 20, 2011 after a small argument over a bag of garbage that he felt had been placed too close to his restaurant on Victoria near Van Horne.
Geraldo Vargas, who shared an apartment with Martinez, said that Martinez was so angered by the disagreement that he said over the phone in Spanish, "I’m going to break him,” referring to Suntharam.
Martinez allegedly knifed Suntharam to death after making the comments.
After hearing the troubling comments, Vargas rushed to the scene but it was too late.
“It’s as if he was committing the deed while he was on the phone,” said Vargas.
The witness painted a dim picture of Martinez as a mooch who constantly asked for beer money.
Martinez’s then-girlfriend had previously testified that Martinez had complained that the restaurant owner had hit him first. “I’m Cuban, nobody can touch me,” Martinez allegedly told her.
The victim’s family is expected to testify next, which will require Tamil-English translation and then a English-Spanish translation for the benefit of the accused.
