Published On Fri Nov 5 2010
Lela Tabidze, wife of Vakhtang Makhniashvili, leaves court with her husband's lawyer, Calvin Barry, after her husband appeared in court to face numerous charges.
TANNIS TOOHEY/TORONTO STAR
Curtis Rush
Staff Reporter
The father of missing teen Mariam Makhniashvili appeared briefly in court Friday to answer attempted murder and aggravated assault charges stemming from a double stabbing Thursday.
Clad in orange jumpsuit and in handcuffs, Vakhtang Makhniashvili entered the prisoner’s box bearing what seemed to be a large round welt on his left cheek but otherwise appeared in good condition.
Makhniashvili surrendered to police on Thursday, minutes after David Langer, 54, and his wife, Delores, 51, who had posted bond for Makhniashvili in a previous stabbing case, were themselves stabbed at their home on Greenwood Ave., near Queen St. E.
Langer suffered non-life-threatening injuries to his abdomen and his wife was stabbed in the arm.
Makhniashvili has also been charged with breaching bail.
When he was ushered into court, Makhniashvili glanced around for his wife, Lela Tabidze. She never betrayed any emotion.
Tabidze and her husband exchanged a nod when he settled into the prisoner’s box, and they nodded quickly to each other after the proceedings were over.
Makhniashvili did not speak to the judge, only conferring with his lawyer, Calvin Barry.
His case was put over until Nov. 10. The judge ordered a publication ban on evidence given in court.
Asked about the stabbing, Barry told reporters that “it’s a bizarre set of circumstances but it’s still in the embryonic stage, so I can’t comment.”
In court, Barry asked for Makhniashvili, 50, to be held in protective custody because of fears he could be assaulted by others at the Toronto West Detention Centre.
Makhniashvili was being treated by a forensic psychiatrist and was on unspecified medication before the alleged attack, said Barry.
“A person at the best times would be under a lot of stress from the fact that the daughter has been missing so long,” he told reporters. “That alone is what triggered a lot of distress and psychiatric issues.”
Their daughter had disappeared without a trace Sept. 14, 2009, on her way to Forest Hill Collegiate. Her knapsack was found later.
Their son, George, 17, had vanished from their home earlier this week and returned the next day.
“She’s a strong woman. She’s holding up well,” Barry said of Tabidze.
The son’s disappearance had weighed heavily on the parents, Barry said.
“It caused a lot of stress. It’s like a lot of things: How many smacks can you take in a short period of time?”
Although they had never met Makhniashvili, the Langers had posted $50,000 bail for Vakhtang after he had allegedly stabbed a neighbour in May after an argument over excessive noise.
It was later learned that they were private investigators who had taken a special interest in Mariam’s disappearance.
When Makhniashvili became suspicious of their motives, the couple pulled their bail and Tabidze became his surety.
http://www.thestar.com/news/mariam/article/886460--missing-teen-s-father-in-court-on-stabbing-charges
