Latest news with #YouthCriminalJusticeAct
Global News
a day ago
- Global News
3rd teen convicted of manslaughter in Halifax mall parking garage stabbing
A teenaged boy has been found guilty of manslaughter in the 2024 death of a Syrian teenager who was stabbed in a Halifax parking garage. Ahmad Al Marrach, 16, was a Grade 10 student at Citadel High School who had come to Canada with his family from Syria in 2016. In April 2024, he was attacked by a group of teenagers in a parking garage next to the Halifax Shopping Centre and later died in hospital. On Tuesday, a teen — who was 16 at the time of the crime — found guilty of manslaughter by a judge after a youth court trial that began in January. Police responded to a report of an injured person in the Halifax Shopping Centre parking lot on April 22, 2024. The injured male youth, who was later identified as 16-year-old Ahmad Al Marrach, was taken to hospital where he later died. Provided/Al Marrach family He and three other teens charged in connection with Al Marrach's death — a girl and two boys — were all initially charged with second-degree murder. Story continues below advertisement Their names and any details that could be used to identify them are protected from publication under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy One of the boys, who was 14 at the time, pleaded guilty in January to second-degree murder, admitting that he was the one who stabbed the Grade 10 student with a stolen kitchen knife. Another boy, who was 17 at the time, pleaded guilty in October to manslaughter. The girl was sentenced this past April to three more months in custody, followed by 24 months of rehabilitation in the community, as part of the Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision program. Court has previously heard the deadly brawl was prompted by a disagreement over a girl involved with Al Marrach and one of the accused. 2:15 Stabbing victim Ahmad Al Marrach's mother says court process has been disappointing — with a file from The Canadian Press
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
14-year-old charged in deadly stabbing of Toronto senior makes court appearance
A Toronto teen charged with second-degree murder in the deadly stabbing of a 71-year-old woman last week appeared in court Monday. The 14-year-old defendant, who was briefly identified by police by way of a judicial authorization prior to his arrest on Sunday, was dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit as he was spoken to via video link at a Toronto courtroom. Toronto police were called to a commercial plaza near Parkway Forest Drive and Sheppard Avenue East, just west of Highway 404, for a report of a stabbing on the morning of Thursday, July 17. There, officers located a 71-year-old woman who had been stabbed. She was transported to hospital where she was pronounced dead. The suspect fled the scene prior to the arrival of police. Police have identified the victim as Shahnaz Pestonji. They said she was loading groceries into her car before she was stabbed. Initially, police described the attack as 'unprovoked,' but as the investigation unfolded, they said they now believe the stabbing was precipitated by an attempted robbery. 'Through reviewing the video surveillance, speaking with witnesses, and observing the person's movements prior to the attack, we believe that the person intended to rob Mrs. Pestonji,' Det. Matthew Pinfold said Friday, as police identified and released an image of the suspect. The court order to identify the suspect has expired, meaning their identity cannot be released under the terms of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The case has been adjourned until July 28. With files from Beth Macdonell
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
London teens with break-in tools arrested on rooftop
Two London teens have been charged after being spotted on the roof of a home in the middle of the night. Around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, police said they got a call from concerned citizen about somebody on the roof of a home on Yellowbirch Place. When police got there, they found two people on the roof who were arrested without incident. After a search, police found break-in tools and masks. Two 17-year-old boys, who cannot be identified under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, were jointly charged with trespassing at night possession of break in instruments. Both of the accused were released from custody and will appear in London court in August.
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Teen arrested in fatal ‘unprovoked' stabbing of woman in North York plaza
A 14-year-old boy wanted in the unprovoked stabbing death of a woman loading groceries into her car Thursday morning at a North York plaza has been arrested, police say. Shahnaz Pestonji, 71, of Toronto was killed in an 'unprovoked' stabbing while loading groceries into her car near Parkway Forest Drive and Sheppard Avenue East on Thursday morning, officers said. Pestonji was rushed to hospital, where she was pronounced dead, investigators said, while the suspect fled the area, leading to a police search over several days. The boy, who is from Toronto, was arrested Sunday and charged with second-degree murder, investigators said in a news release . Beneath this violent act lies an issue unfolding in the Greater Toronto Area — a surge in youth crime that many experts describe as a public health crisis driven by poverty, persistently high youth unemployment and inadequate access to social support systems. In 2024, Toronto police charged 13 people under 18 with homicide , up from just three in 2023, and laid gun charges against 168 youth, the most since the pandemic. Nearly two-thirds of Toronto's carjacking-related arrests involved minors in 2023. At a news conference Friday evening, Toronto police said they believe the suspect intended to rob 71-year-old Shahnaz Pestonji when she was stabbed. Search efforts for the suspect included door-to-door canvassing, drones, canine units and reviewing surveillance footage, officers said. The suspect was believed to be 'very knowledgeable of the city, and especially riding the transit system,' Pinfold added. A number of videos claiming to show the suspect are circulating on social media. Toronto police did not confirm if the videos are legitimate. 'We are aware of the videos circulating online. This remains an active investigation, and we are urging anyone who has any information to contact the police,' a police spokesperson told the Star in an email. The accused is scheduled to appear in court at the Ontario Court of Justice at 10 a.m. on Monday. The suspect's age means he cannot be publicly identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Police previously received permission to temporarily release the name and photo of the suspect before the arrest. That permission has now expired. The youngest person to ever be charged and found guilty of murder in Toronto was 12 when he fatally stabbed his cousin more than 80 times in September 2023. Pestonji's family described the wife and mother as 'an angel on this Earth' who was devoted to her family after a career working with veterans and seniors as a nurse at Sunnybrook Hospital. Shahnaz Pestonji's family said she had a distinctive, contagious laugh, loved to travel and was an incredible cook. 'There's no doubt in any of our minds that she knows how much we loved her,' her daughter Yasmin, 39, told the Star last week. 'If I could get another hug I would never let go.' Her family said Prestonji had a distinctive, contagious laugh, loved to travel and was an incredible cook. 'She would never say 'I'm busy,'' her daughter Dina, 41, added. 'She made time for everything, especially family.' With files from Estella Ren, Daniel Opasinis, Raju Mudhar and The Canadian Press
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
14-year-old boy charged with murder after woman, 71, fatally stabbed in North York
Toronto police say a 14-year-old boy has been charged with second-degree murder after a woman in her 70s was fatally stabbed late last week in North York. Officers were called to the area of Parkway Forest Drive and Sheppard Avenue East area at around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday for reports of a stabbing. Investigators say the victim, identified as 71-year-old Toronto resident Shahnaz Pestonji, was attacked in a parking lot while loading groceries into her vehicle. Pestonji was taken to hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries. Shahnaz Pestonji, 71 Shahnaz Pestonji, 71, is Toronto's 22nd homicide victim of the year. (Toronto Police Service handout) Police have previously described the incident as 'unprovoked' and say the suspect fled the area before officers arrived. On Sunday, police announced the arrest of a 14-year-old boy in Toronto, following what they describe as a 'coordinated effort by multiple units.' He has been charged with second-degree murder and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday. The identity of the teen, who is from Toronto, is now protected under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Online videos appear to show masked individual speaking about fatal stabbing The arrest comes as videos circulating online show a masked individual speaking publicly about the incident in an interview. Police confirm to CTV News Toronto that they are 'aware of the videos circulating online,' but have not confirmed the identity of the person seen in them. Former Toronto homicide detective weighs in on arrest In an interview with CP24, former Toronto police homicide detective Mark Mendelson, shared his insights on the news of today's arrest. Mendelson said investigators took the 'fairly rare' step of seeking a provincial court order to release the teen's identity and photograph, which he noted was from Toronto police - meaning that they'd had some sort of previous interaction with him. He also pointed to the fact that the accused had allegedly taken to social media to post some of his 'thoughts and excuses' online, which Mendelson said could have had a 'component in locating him.' He also noted that police had said that the teen was known to frequent the TTC. Mendelson also pointed to the work of cyber crime investigators, whom he said also likely played an important role in finding the suspect and building the case against him. 'But we do know that it was (a) fairly quick (arrest), but it might be a combination of all of those investigative avenues that they followed. And here we are, and now he's been charged,' he said. 'I would certainly love to see the face of his defence lawyer when he sees these videos, if, in fact, it is the suspect's videos.' Mark Mendelson Former Toronto homicide detective Mark mendelson speaks with CP24 on July 20. Proving that is it the accused in those clips will be one of the first orders of business, Mendelson said, pointing to some aspects in them that he believes will be 'very troubling for the defence.' 'One is he admits to being there. He also admits to having an interaction with this elderly woman. He actually gives a bit of a motive in terms of why the interaction took place. And he also admits to the stabbing,' Mendleson said. 'So this is very damning information, if this matter does in fact go to trial.' It should be noted that the suspect's face is covered in the clips. 'You know, the Crown will make their best efforts to prove that it is, in fact him, and the defence will raise the doubt that it isn't him. I mean, we just don't know all of what is available now,' Mendelson said. 'I mean, you can be sure they're seizing his electronic equipment and they'll be able to trace that back and see if those postings came from maybe his cell phone or another electronic device. So there's all kinds of ways that they can confirm or corroborate that it is, in fact him.' Mendelson said he expects that the accused will have a brief court appearance on Monday and will be remanded into custody. He added that at this point in the investigation the accused has been charged with second-degree murder, a charge he said could be upgraded once the case goes through the court system and other evidence is obtained and presented. 'And we don't know what this young man has said to the police since his arrest,' he said. 'So there's all kinds of things that will be taking place where they may. There may be a reassessment moving into first degree murder, which of course is planning and deliberation.' Investigation is ongoing Toronto police continue to investigate this case and are asking anyone with additional information to contact them at 416-808-3300 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
