Murder-accused Nilisi Kaniki’s alleged alibi text after Selma Ibrahim declared dead

A man charged with bashing his pregnant partner to death in her Logan home allegedly texted a mate soon after she was declared dead asking them to back his ‘alibi’, a jury has heard.

Selma Ibrahim was declared deceased on September 25, 2019, after she was allegedly bashed to death by her partner.

A man charged with bashing his pregnant partner to death in her Logan home had texted a mate just minutes after she was declared dead: “Bro if anyone asks, I was with you last night,” a jury has heard on the first day of his trial.

Selma Ibrahim, 24, was found naked in the bathroom of her Crestmead home on the morning of September 25, 2019, after she was allegedly bashed to death by her boyfriend Nilisi Kaniki, now 30.

During the first day of Kaniki’s trial for murder in Brisbane’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, the jury heard allegations that Kaniki had attempted to perform CPR hours after landing the fatal blows that left her brain “too swollen to survive”.

The jury were told paramedics had attended Ms Ibrahim’s Waratah St home on September 25 after Kaniki made a triple-0 call saying she was unconscious.

Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane said in his opening submissions that an autopsy of Ms Ibrahim’s body found multiple facial fractures and bruising to the brain, along with a detail he said Ms Ibrahim was likely unaware of – she had been seven weeks pregnant.

The mother-of-two already had one child with Kaniki and another without him, the jury was told.

Her body had injuries to the arms, forearms, hands and fingers – which Mr Crane suggested was indicative that “she was holding up her hands and her arms to stop further blows”.

Mr Crane said paramedics had been unable to open her eyes and that her arm would snap back into position as rigamortis had already started setting in by the time they arrived.

He said the exact time of death was difficult to pinpoint, but that it could have been hours after Ms Ibrahim actually received the injuries.

Kaniki had sat on the couch in the living room as paramedics attempted to revive Ms Ibrahim – but she was declared dead at 7.07am, Mr Crane said.

The jury were told that just eight minutes later at 7.15am, Kaniki sent the text message: “bro if anyone asks I was with you last night”.

Mr Crane labelled the move “quite the age-old setting up of an alibi”.

He said Kaniki had accidentally sent the text to the wrong person – Ms Ibrahim’s marijuana dealer, who Kaniki had later suggested to police had been the one responsible.

The jury were told the message remained on the dealer’s phone but had been deleted on Kaniki’s.

Kaniki had told police Ms Ibrahim had been having trouble paying her dealer, but Mr Crane said the text messages between Ms Ibrahim and the dealer showed she had in fact paid.

He said Kaniki had further claimed to police that Ms Ibrahim had received her fatal injuries prior to his arrival on the evening of September 24.

Kaniki told police he had spent some time with Ms Ibrahim that night before leaving her in “fine” condition to get drugs and then returning around 6.30am to find her unconscious.

Mr Crane labelled this an “untruth” and suggested the jury would not be able to see Kaniki returning to the home on the morning of September 25 in any neighbour’s CCTV.

He said the key issues for the jury to consider would be whether the Crown had proven beyond reasonable doubt that Kaniki had caused Ms Ibrahim’s injuries, and if so, whether they could prove he had intended to kill Ms Ibrahim or cause her grievous bodily harm.

Justice Sean Cooper said an alternative charge of manslaughter was also available.

Kaniki pleaded not guilty at the start of trial to one count of murder and one of unlawful assault of a pregnant female destroying the life of a child before its birth.

His defence barrister Jacob Robson emphasised that there was no direct evidence against his client and warned the jury about jumping to conclusions.

He questioned why his client would lie about being away between midnight and 6.30am when, on the prosecution’s case, the injuries were likely inflicted before midnight.

“How is that an alibi?” he asked.

Mr Robson said it was important to put aside the “terrible tragedy” and focus as clinically as possible on the actual evidence.

The trial is expected to continue for one to two weeks, with witnesses expected to start giving evidence this afternoon.

Originally published as Murder-accused Nilisi Kaniki’s alleged alibi text after Selma Ibrahim declared dead