Real Estate Tycoon’s Son Charged With Torture Slaying of Hollywood Model Girlfriend

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
The son of a well-known real estate developer in Toronto has been charged with killing and torturing his girlfriend in Los Angeles.
According to The Toronto Star, Blake Leibel pleaded not guilty yesterday for one count of each of murder, mayhem, aggravated mayhem and torture in the killing of his girlfriend Iana Kasian.
Authorities say Kasian’s blood was drained out of her body.
A neighbor told the paper Leibel looked “deranged” when police led him out of the house.
“His legs were bruised, his face was puffy,” she told The Star. A psychological evaluation has been ordered for Leibel.
After a distressed call from Iana Kasian’s mother that her daughter had gone missing, police forced their way into her and Leibel’s condominium on Holloway Drive. He had barricaded the door shut. When police broke through, they found Kasian unresponsive on the floor with blunt trauma.
The two have a child together, and according to KTLA 5, the child is with a family friend.
If convicted, Leibel could face the death penalty.
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