Death of a Toronto homeless: the last minor pleads guilty to the opening of her trial

At the Toronto courthouse, the last of the eight adolescent girls who has not yet been deemed relative to the death of a homeless in 2022 in the city center pleaded guilty on Monday of a reduced accusation of manslaughter. His trial without jury for unpremeditated murder was to start this morning.

Kenneth Lee was stabbed to death by eight teenagers in a group attack on the night of December 17 to 18, 2022 near the Union station. The homeless was 59 years old.

The minor n^o 5 is 8 young girls who have been accused in this case; It is the last of the 4 minors that were translated before a higher court last summer by a judge of a youth court.

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She was 14 at the time of the allegedly allegedly. She attended the hearing next to her lawyer, Chris Morris. His father was in the courtroom.

Adolescent n^o 5 had been released on bail and assigned to house in May 2023 after a judicial review after a judge refused to release it at first.

Her guilty plea made it possible to learn that she had no stabbing weapons on her at the time of the attack against the victim.

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The prosecutor Mary Humphrey nevertheless specifies that the girl struck her Ken Lee feet and fists, in addition to filming with her cellular the attack which lasted 3 minutes 20 seconds.

Me Humphrey points out that the teenager was intoxicated after drinking alcohol and smoked cannabis throughout the evening.

The teenager had created grabwork in the metro with other co -accused two hours before the assault. A camera also surprised him stealing alcohol in a branch of the LCBO.

Reminder of tragic events

The joint declaration of the facts shows that the assault began when some accused in the group began to annoy Erica, Ken Lee’s friend who lives in a nearby refuge.

Erica holds a bottle of alcohol that teenagers covet. Ken Lee, who had been absent for a few moments, comes out and asks the group to stop annoying his friend.

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It was then that the group attacks the victim in three successive waves. The attack was filmed by surveillance cameras.

Ken Lee will suffer 19 shots in the face and body before being stabbed by a pair of scissors or a knife.

The crime weapon has never been found, but the metro surveillance cameras captured a knife that the accused were exchanged on their way to the city center.

After the attack, the group left the park and settled in the entrance to an office tower not far from there. They took a picture of themselves with their cellular cells laughing and dancing.

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They then returned to the Union station to stroll. Their friend JB joined them before the whole group was expelled by a security guard.

JB is injured by hand in a friendly grip with one of the group’s teenage girls, who then accompanied him to Sick Kids hospital.

The accused, who were aged 13 to 16, will be apprehended around 3:30 a.m. to the hospital, when the police will bring together JB and Ken Lee.

Declarations of the Lee family

The prosecutor Humphrey read a letter from Kenneth Lee’s sister on the impact that the death of the homeless had on her life.

Helen Shum declares that the words are missing to describe The horrible pain that his family has been feeling for over two years.

His absence tears our hearts, especially during birthdays and holidays … We will never be the same againrepeats Me Humphrey in the name of Ms. Shum.

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The prosecutor explains that Ken Lee was an adorable brother for Ms. Shum, a good son and an excellent uncle for her children.

Our pain is unbearable and our mourning, endlessshe adds, mentioning that her 85-year-old mother now lives recluse, sorrow in the soul.

I only see the pain and the emotional emptiness in my mother’s gaze, she became a logshe said, describing her mother.

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Ms. Shum specifies that she is on work stoppage due to depression, that she is insomniac and that she has become irritable with those she loves.

I only think about what happened to him when I fall asleepshe said, stressing that she saw during the audience on the deposit the video of the surveillance camera that captured the scene.

She recalls that her brother was courageous, that he was not a drug addict but very depressed and that he wanted to get out of it with the help of a psychologist.

I have the impression that the nightmare we live will never stopshe concludes.

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The hearing on the determination of the sentence of minor no 5 was set for June 26. The crown ordered a pre-school report which will not be ready for several weeks.

A judicial cause which completes

In total, 7 out of 8 adolescent girls will finally plead guilty of a reduced charge over a period of one year: four before a lower court and three before a higher court.

Only teenager n^o 8 was entitled to a trial for unpremeditated murder; She is still waiting for her verdict.

The crown had refused to open her trial in January that she pleaded guilty to a lightened accusation of manslaughter because she is convinced that she is the one who stabbed the victim.

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Adolescent n^o 1 must still undergo its hearing on determining the sentence tomorrow, Tuesday, for an accusation of assault.

The minor n^o 7 will be sentenced on May 16 for manslaughter and the N^o 8 will know her verdict on May 30, but her hearing on the penalty has not yet been determined since we still ignore whether she is guilty of murder or not.

The last four accused have already been sentenced to sentences without prison before a lower court after pleading guilty last summer, reduced accusations of manslaughter or armed assault.