Daniel Sylvester killed his next-door neighbour Alicia Ross in an attack in the alley between their two homes in Markham, Ont., a Crown attorney alleged in court Monday.

Sylvester, 33, tried to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter last week, saying he didn't mean to kill Ross, but his plea was rejected by the Crown. He has been charged with second-degree murder.

"This is not a whodunit," Crown attorney Kelly Wright told the jury in a Newmarket courtroom in her opening statement, but rather, she said, a case about intent.

Ross, 25, was enjoying the summer of her life when she suddenly disappeared from her prosperous Markham neighbourhood in August of 2005, the jury of eight women and four men was told.

When police interviewed Sylvester two days after Ross's disappearance, he told them he didn't really know Ross, had only met her a couple of times and didn't even know her name, Wright told the jury.

Five weeks later, Sylvester went to a police station with his lawyer and told them of an encounter he'd had with Ross.

The night she went missing Sylvester and Ross exchanged words in the alley between their two homes, the Crown alleged he told police.

Sylvester slapped her, pinned her down then banged her head a number of times against the ground before dragging her body into his garage, the Crown said he told police.

The court was told that Sylvester cleaned up the bloody trail, showered and then lined his vehicle's trunk, before placing her body in it. He then drove 45 minutes north to Manilla, Ont., where he dumped her body, the Crown alleged.

Weeks later, Sylvester moved the body to another spot 40 kilometres farther north, near the town of Coboconk, the Crown said he told police.

Ross's cause of death was never determined, but there were 30 bone fractures, the Crown said.

The first person to testify at the trial was Ross's mother, Sharon Fortis, who spoke about the last time she saw her daughter alive.

She remembered Ross returning a borrowed purse around 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 16 and joking, "Thanks for sharing."

Ross also told her mom that they had lots to talk about. The young woman was on the cusp of a promotion at Hewlett Packard and was full of newfound confidence, said Fortis.

About an hour later, Ross walked her boyfriend out to his car in front of her family's home.

The encounter with Sylvester happened as she was returning to the house, the Crown alleges.

The trial continues Tuesday and is expected to last up to eight weeks.