MILTON, Ont. — An Ontario woman accused of faking terminal cancer and bilking nearly $20,000 from friends and supporters was held in custody Monday following a brief court appearance in Milton, west of Toronto.
Ashley Anne Kirilow, 23, of Burlington, Ont., turned herself in to police last Friday and faces three counts of fraud under $5,000.
Kirilow is alleged to have shaved her head and eyebrows, plucked her eyelashes and starved herself to look as though she was going through chemotherapy treatment to garner donations for a bogus charity she founded.
Wearing a peach-coloured frock over a white T-shirt and blue slip-on shoes, the petite young woman shuffled into the courtroom, which was packed with reporters. She could barely be heard when she whispered her name into the microphone.
The proceedings, which were supposed to be a bail hearing, have been postponed until Wednesday. She has yet to enter a plea. A publication ban has also been issued on any instructions or information the judge gave during the appearance.
Jackie Musial, 21, of Oakville, Ont., said she barely recognized Kirilow in the courtroom because the last time she saw her, two months ago, Kirilow was bald. On Monday, she had shoulder-length dirty blond hair.
"I would've never had questioned whether or not she had cancer," said Musial, an art student. "It was convincing. Absolutely. . . . That's how I became friends with her — I sympathized with her and I wanted to do all I could to support her before she died."
Musial said she met Kirilow in October at a concert where she was collecting donations for her cancer treatment. Although she never contributed any money, Musial said she was stunned to hear allegations that the meek, sick girl she had befriended did not have ovarian and breast cancer.
"She looked really sad today and, hopefully, embarrassed," she said. "I'm angry and definitely extremely disappointed. I just have to be more careful of the people I befriend and not be so trusting of everyone."
Musial said Kirilow would often talk about how she was diagnosed at such a young age and the multiple treatments she had go to through.
At that time, Kirilow had told Musial she only had two to three months left to live.
"I'm not surprised at all that no one was here," Musial said about the lack of people in court supporting Kirilow on Monday. "I don't know anyone who is willing to stand up for her at this point. Her parents aren't even here. I sympathize with them."
Kirilow's estranged parents have publicly denounced their daughter's actions. The story has grabbed international headlines. On Sunday, the woman's father, Mike Kirilow, told Good Morning America he was "sick to (his) stomach" when he found out his daughter was taking people's money under false pretences.
"I was surprised with the extent she had taken it, but not surprised with her doing it," he told the American breakfast show. "She's always manipulated people, manipulated situations to get what she wants. She's not one to work very hard. So to me it was just another way of her getting people's sympathy to help support her."
Kirilow is accused of raising $20,000, mostly through pocket-change donations collected from young people to whom she told her story. Her charity, Change for Cure, was never registered with tax authorities. No one ever received a receipt for the money they gave.
Mike Kirilow said he was the one who had to tell volunteers with her charity that she was faking her illness.
The fake charity's Facebook page has nearly 5,000 members. On Monday, the page was filled with comments from people "disgusted" by Kirilow's claims. Many of the people were children of cancer patients who have died.
Meredith Dejonge, 25, alleges that Kirilow also befriended local groups and recruited volunteers to help her organize events and benefit concerts. She even convinced a cancer awareness organization — Skate4Cancer — to fly her to Disney World to fulfil what she said was a dying wish.
Dejonge met Kirilow last September and purchased a T-shirt to support the charity.
"When she looked our way in court, I turned away," said the massage therapist from Burlington, Ont. "I didn't want to make eye contact. I didn't want her to look out there and make assumptions about why we're here."
