But the most terrible casualty of the fire was Ricardo Olivarez, 73. A beloved patriarch, he was missed by his family.

Prosecutors are seeking justice for the tragic January 2024 apartment fire that claimed the life of a 73-year-old man.

The accused, Jason Murray Zabos, was 44 at the time of the fire, barricaded in his apartment against an eviction prompted by lack of rent payment from the social services agency who had been paying half his rent.

The fallout from the fire that gutted the building’s 32 units over four floors was huge.

Many people had to be rescued from fourth floor balconies, including a woman with mobility issues brought down in a bucket.

The event involved 108 firefighters, 69 police, seven safety officers, seven fire investigators and one canine member.

Seven tenants were sent to hospital, and two toddlers and a woman were hospitalized in serious condition. Some were hospitalized for weeks. One was intubated for five days, another was intubated and sedated.

Nine pets died in the fire.

Officers were treated for injuries. More than $100,000 worth of tactical equipment was left inside the building when it burned since saving lives became the objective.

But the most terrible casualty of the fire was Ricardo Olivarez, 73. A beloved patriarch, he was missed by his family, who were travelling outside the country, but repeatedly pleaded with the Edmonton Police Service to find him.

Finally, on April 22, with the help of a cadaver dog, EPS found his remains in his suite, and it took a DNA test to confirm it was him.

Testimony Monday in Court of King’s Bench in Edmonton traced the tragedy’s roots to four days after Pathways stopped paying for half his rent for December 2023.

Half of his rent was paid by Alberta Works. The other half was paid by Pathways to Housing, an agency offering “dedicated support for individuals transitioning from houselessness with support needed to overcome systemic barriers, such as serious mental illness and addiction.”

But to be a client of Pathways, Zabos had to “give his consent.”

“He revoked consent in November 2023,” said housing worker Jeremy Abbott.

At that point, “we were no longer involved. He was no longer a client in our program.”

Abbott said his support shifted to supporting the landlords with their rights and responsibilities.

“I was involved to talk with the landlord, I was on the site to offer program support, but Jason didn’t want it.”

Abbott said he was looking for shelter support for Zabos and for a shelter space for his cat.

Asked if he was aware of Zabos’s mental health issues, Abbott said he was part of a collaborative team of medical professionals and housing representatives.

“I was aware of doctors being involved, but I’m not involved in mental health in my role.”

“It was decided there was no engagement from Jason to our program. It was decided to go ahead and contact the police to get involved. There was no consent for us to be involved with his care, there was no indication of him asking us for support,” Abbott said.

That flagged an eviction order within four days of non-full payment.

Zabos sat quietly in court, a man of medium height and build, and close-cropped dark blonde hair and blue eyes.

An image emerged from witnesses of a difficult tenant and client.

Property manager Owen Fletcher said an annual inspection of the suite had revealed “sanitary concerns” — garbage massing, concerns about bugs coming from neighbouring suites, cat litter issues.

In January 2023, Fletcher got a note from Zabos saying he’d been admitted to hospital, and would he care for his cat.

“He had quit taking his meds,” Fletcher recalled.

A December 2023 phone hearing over eviction for non-payment didn’t go well for Zabos.

“After that it was posted on Facebook by him that he was capable of burning the building down and killing all the tenants,” Fletcher said.

At a mid-January eviction call, he wouldn’t come to the door. In muffled tones, he told the bailiff to get the cops and he texted back and forth with Const. Brandt Siamchuk, who told the court he got a barrage of texts from Zabos.

“The very brief review I had done of his previous police interactions I attributed things he was saying to his mental health issues he was dealing with,” Siamchuk said.

So did he bring this to the higher-ups attention?

“I liaised with supervisors, they recommended no further action,” he said.

Bailiff/civil enforcement officer Kelly Dunn had a court order to evict the tenant.

She heard Zabos tell the police from the other side of the door, “I don’t talk, I only text.”

“From then on, they texted each other.”

She said a social services worker arrived and said they had a place for Zabos and his cat, but got no response at that time from the tenant on the other side of the door, so he left.

The police advised her to retreat to the nearby temporary command centre. She did, and hours later was advised to just go home, as it would be a long night.

Monday’s final witness, 22-year EPS veteran Const. Hector Gonzalez, was at the scene as a PACT member, teamed with mental health therapist Crystal Pidhaichuck, who accessed Zabos’s background through ConnectCare

She recommended he be apprehended for mental health reasons.

He stayed nearby in hopes of transporting Zabos.

“At 9:49 p.m. we were told we were no long required, that command post was still negotiating with Mr. Zabos,” he recalled

They weren’t asked to negotiate, he said.

The trial continues Tuesday.