A woman who was found bound and naked with her throat cut is lucky to be alive thanks to the heroic efforts of a Surrey landlord over the weekend.
A 22-year-old man is in custody also due in part to the intervention of Adel Masoud and his family.
Just after 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Masoud received a call from one of his tenants who said there was a huge commotion coming from next door.
Masoud went to the apartment behind his home in the 13400-block 108 Avenue with his son, and a man inside the noisy unit opened the window and said everything was okay.
A few seconds later, they heard a woman's voice: "He wants to kill me, he wants to kill me," Masoud recalls.
The man closed the window and dashed to the door, Masoud said. "But she is faster than him… she came out of the apartment and fell on the ground."
Masoud (left) said her hands were bound in front of her, she was naked from the waist down and had a deep cut on her throat from her ear to the front of her neck.
Masoud's son called police while Masoud held the apartment unit's door shut so no one could get out.
The police came, a male suspect was arrested, and the woman was taken to hospital.
"Thank God she's alive now," Masoud told The Leader Tuesday. "God was good. I'm really happy because I arrived at the right time."
Kris Kelly, 22, is facing charges of attempted murder, unlawful confinement and aggravated sexual assault.
"He's really a quiet guy, a nice guy," Masoud said of his previous experience with Kelly. "He's come down to my office many times and had tea and sat with my children."
Kelly has been a tenant in the unit for about two months, Masoud said.
Masoud said he had seen the woman one time before when she came to visit Kelly, but she didn't live in the apartment, he said.
Kelly is scheduled to appear in Surrey Provincial Court on Wednesday.
Police are asking anyone with more information about this incident to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or Crime Stoppers, if they wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800-222-TIPS or www.solvecrime.ca