Boy, 12, pleads guilty to murder in fatal stabbing of cousin at Scarborough apartment
Posted August 16, 2024 12:09 pm.
Last Updated August 16, 2024 1:50 pm.
A boy who was 12 years old at the time he fatally stabbed his young cousin pleaded guilty to second-degree murder this week.
The homicide occurred at a Scarborough apartment building located on Dundalk Drive, near Kennedy Road and Highway 401, in the evening hours on Sept. 5, 2023.
First responders arrived at the unit and found a 12-year-old girl with stab wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
A male youth was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. The boy, now 13 years old, pleaded guilty to the charge in court on Thursday, his lawyer confirmed with CityNews.
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Twelve is the minimum age at which a person can be charged with a crime in Canada. The boy faces a maximum prison sentence of seven years, with a maximum of four years in custody, with the remainder in the community under supervision with conditions.
Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), custody sentences are mainly intended for violent and serious repeat offenders.
The circumstances of the stabbing remain unknown. At the time of the incident, residents reported seeing a boy dangling from the unit’s balcony. He was transported to a local hospital with injuries before being released and taken into custody.
The building’s superintendent recounted hearing yelling and loud noise from the unit. She attempted to get inside, but the door was locked.
A mother and five children were living inside the unit at the time, and neighbours told CityNews some children were home when the fatal stabbing happened.
With files from Michael Ranger of CityNews
