News

SEND YOUR NEWSWORTHY VIDEOS TO VIDEOS@NEWSTALK1010.COM

*UPDATE* VIDEO: Police Identify Woman Killed in Cabbagetown

Posted By: Dave Bradley · 10/24/2012 2:54:00 PM

Toronto Police have released the name of the woman stabbed to death in Cabbagetown on Tuesday morning.

Officers say 55 year old Nighisti Semret worked as a cleaner at the Delta Chelsea and was on her way home from work when she was attacked.

She worked as a cleaner at the Delta Chelsea on the night shift and was employed by contractor Andorra Building Maintenance.

She was not employed directly by the hotel, but even though many employees didn't know her, her death was still felt by those that worked there.

"I heard from my friend," says one employee. "It's shocking. I feel so sorry about it...it can happen to anyone."

This person's death has hit us," says Delta Chelsea GM Ron Pellerine. "It's very hard on our staff and our condolences go out to her family."

An employee at Andorra's Etobicoke office was visibly upset by her death. She says Nicky was hard-working and professional, and the company was proud to have employed her.

The employee says Nicky had come to Canada about 2-3 years ago and had worked for he company with about 150 other employees for about the same amount of time.

The co-worker also said Nicky had kids in Africa and no other family in Canada
While police haven't confirmed the attack was random, officers say it is something they are looking into.

Semret left her job after her overnight shift at 6:30 on Tuesday morning.

Police say they she lived what appeared to be a quiet and private life, and as a matter of fact, they've been unable to reach any family members.

Cops say they are looking for a white man, about 5'10 to 6'2 with a medium build. He's about 150 to 200 pounds and was wearing a dark coat that buttons in the front, a white or light coloured scarf and a dark hat with a peak.

Police are now asking people from the neighbourhood to come forward and tell them what they know about the people often seen in the area. People like panhandlers.

Emergency crews were called to Ontario Street near Wellesley and Parliament Street at approximately 7:04 a.m, on Tuesday morning.

Police say the woman was stabbed in an alley on a residential street.

The woman was stabbed multiple times in the arm and torso and was taken to hospital with serious injuries. She was pronounced dead in hospital several hours later.

Giroux says they have security footage from highrise buildings on Bleeker, and he called them 'good images'. Police released that video late Tuesday afternoon and it can be seen below.

Newstalk1010's Justine Lewkowicz spoke with Paul Down, a witness who jumped in to try and help the woman.

Leave a comment:

showing all comments · Subscribe to comments
  1. Sophie posted on 10/24/2012 09:46 AM
    "Am I my brothers keeper?" The answer is YES. Paul Down knows that, he put himself in harms way for the sake of another person, a total stranger. It is sad that he couldn't save her but he tried to capture her killer. I don't know you Paul but I am very proud of you and would like to think I would do the same if heaven forbid I were in a similiar situation.
    1. Mike posted on 10/24/2012 12:54 PM
      @Sophie Paul said is he from Newfoundland. I expect that from someone from there.
      Good on ya Paul.
  2. Stug posted on 10/24/2012 11:52 AM
    just awful awful and tragic story. lady coming home from work. hope the gentleman receives a city recognition for his heroic actions
  3. EM posted on 10/24/2012 06:09 PM
    You know it is these occurrences that make me make some statements in this blog and Barb goes after me that I am a very angry man and very bad in society. It appalls me if we as citizens back off and we question ourselves on how many people we have in this city with mental issues, especially in Cabbage town. I do not know this issue and I am not here to mention anything about it for Police is still doing its job, but knowing that place as I know it, may God help me that I’m wrong this is not a mental issue. We throw them out there and we abandon them, actually the conservatives even chased them out of hospitals and sent them to jails, it is The Liberals that have raised up and above to fund taking care of mental issues. And that is why you see the expansion of Queen Street Ossington Street complex. And let me say this too for either way I am going to be attacked so I might as well go the next yard when I so can. There is so much stress in our society, life has so much been built to support the very rich people. For you wonder two things, {1} Why does Canada a country of such few people have such a high number of people with mental issues? This country has only 30 or so million people, why such a number of mental issues people? When you see the number at which medications are prescribed, we are almost passing United States. {2} Why are most of our people with mental issues degree holders, do they do their part get educated and society burns them alive? And that is all I will say, but you see it gets so interesting when social workers are pulled out of the system, programs are pulled out, those supposed to have medications and taken are no longer monitored so they leave it and then go bonkers for society is built on attacking the poor. And we stand to wonder about a death of a very simple hard working woman. If you knew the number of people with mental issues in this city, even those running out of the institution like Queen street, you will fear your own street.

    This posting has absolutely nothing to do with what happened to this woman, but when a man walks to an individual he does not know and simply stabs her to death, and in cabbage town just near the shelter of I think it is Salvation Army, I am going to watch this like a hawk for I believe that Police is going to find this man, I want to know if he even knew what he was doing let alone did. A man cut off a head of a passenger in a bus up North and started to eat pieces of his meat out of the neck in a bus.

    Many times I wonder if people know the people we walk with and on the very same street day and night.

    EM
  4. EM posted on 10/24/2012 10:24 PM
    Just as I was writing the last posting, a report is being filled out that in the OPP services, more OPP Officers have died of suicide than on duty deaths. Again I ask a simple question, why do we have such high number of people with mental issues in a country with such a low population? And by the way I am not even going to talk about a report released I think 2 or so days ago that students in universities are buying drugs from mental issue people at a threatening speed for it helps them to concentrate in studying. Yea I know what Barb is going to state tonight, I am a very angry man that hates society. Well get a day and walk with me in cabbage town and I will show you what you don’t see for you neglect it for it is poor people that should simply be rejected in society then we can have a talk. Again I will be very surprised if this is not a mental case issue. People don’t just stab people they do not know, but you pulled out the nurses, you pulled out the social workers, you lowered the welfare to I think below 400 dollars, you got an area as Wellesley and Sherbourne and shut down its hospital when it was the one taking care of tens of thousands of these people, good luck walking out of work in the morning.

    May God help me to be wrong only this time around and I cannot wait for the Police to get an arrest on this one for I hope that arrest will prove me wrong.

    EM
showing all comments

Videos

Trending