Monday, November 8, 2010

Vakhtang Makhniashvili to remain in police custody

Lela Tabidze, wife of Vakhtang Makhniashvili, is escorted out of a downtown Toronto courthouse by lawyer Calvin Barry on Friday November 5, 2010


A disheveled, unshaven Vakhtang Makhniashvili made a brief appearance in court on Friday morning, but will remain behind bars for the foreseeable future.

The father of missing Mariam Makhniashvili, who was last seen in September of 2009, faces charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault and failure to comply with a recognizance order, following an alleged attack on a couple in Toronto’s east end on Thursday afternoon.

Mr. Makhniashvili will return to court for a bail hearing on Wednesday, but for now he is being held in police custody at the Toronto West Detention Centre’s medical wing.

He walked into the Toronto courtroom on Friday, hunched over in an orange jumpsuit and looking nervous. He only spoke to his legal counsel, Calvin Barry, and did not talk to the judge directly.
His wife, Lela Tabidze, appeared in court. The two exchanged glances during the hearing and she took notes in a blue notebook. Their son, Giorgi, did not attend the hearing.

After the brief hearing, Mr. Barry escorted Ms. Tabidze out of the courthouse on College Street, dodging reporters and photographers. Pale and looking exhausted, she got into a taxi without saying a word.

Mr. Barry said his client is fully in charge of his faculties.

“He fully knows what’s going on,” he said. “I can’t comment on what set him off.”

Mr. Makhniashvili has endured a massive amount of stress surrounding the disappearance of his daughter and his son’s disappearance for several hours earlier this week, said Mr. Barry. He confirmed that his client was on medication and being evaluated by a forensic psychiatrist before Thursday’s attack.

“This has been very hard for them,” he said. “How many smacks can a guy take in a short period of time?”

He could not go into specific details about his client’s mental state, but noted that he seemed “perfectly fine” when they spoke.

Ms. Tabidze was supportive of her husband, said Mr. Barry. “She’s a strong woman. She’s holding up well.”

Mr. Makhniashvili turned himself in to police Thursday afternoon, after allegedly stabbing a couple at their east-end Toronto residence.

David Langer, 54, was stabbed in the stomach and taken for surgery. His wife, Delores Langer, 51, was slashed in the arm. They are both recovering at St. Michael’s Hospital.

The Langers had originally freed Mr. Makhniashvili on a $50,000 bail in May, after another stabbing charge.

National Post


http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/11/05/vakhtang-makhniashvili-to-remain-in-police-custody/