Woman wanted in hotel homicide appears in court

A 32-year-old Ottawa woman appeared in court by video Thursday on a charge of first-degree murder after turning herself into police Wednesday night.

Crystal Bastienwaschargedin connection to ahomicide at a south-end hotel last weekend.

During her briefOntario Courtappearance Thursday she wore a black hooded sweatshirtwith writing across the front.

The judge ordered hernot to contact a list of fivepeople and remanded her into custody.

Bastien is set to appear in court again on Oct.4.

The body of Mohamed Mana, 30, was foundin a roomat the Residence Inn by Marriott on Walkley Road near Bank Streetlate Saturday night.

On Tuesdaypolice issued a Canada-wide warrant for Bastien's arrest on a charge of first-degree murder, and said in a news release that she's considered violent.

'Lucky to escape,'lawyer says

Her lawyer, Joe Addelman, said Bastien is not a violent person.

"The police narrative so far has been incomplete," he said in a short statement by phone Thursday morning."She was lucky to escape that night with her life."

Woman charged in homicide was 'lucky to escape with her life': lawyer

7 years ago

Duration 0:17

Joseph Addelman, the lawyer for a woman charged with first degree murder in a homicide that happened last weekend, says his client Crystal Bastien is not a violent person.

Meanwhile, Ottawa police are looking to identify a second woman seen walking through the lobby of the hotel on Saturday night.

Surveillance video ofthe lobby shows a woman with a long ponytail walking into the hotel wearing a black shirt and grey pants or leggings.

Report mistakenly released

A confidential report on the incident, containing the names of witnesses and detailed descriptions of the crime scene, was mistakenly released to nearly 200 email recipients early Sunday morning.

Ottawa police have launched an internal investigation into how the mistake was made.

The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario is also investigating.

People who received the report were asked to either destroy or delete it.