4th teen charged in Halifax mall stabbing testifying in own defence

Blair Rhodes · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 31, 2025 8:50 PM EDT | Last Updated: 21 minutes ago

The 4th teen charged successful the fatal stabbing of a 16-year-old lad successful Halifax astir a twelvemonth ago is testifying successful his ain defence this week successful Nova Scotia younker court.

The present 17-year-old lad is charged with second-degree execution successful the decease of Ahmad Al Marrach, who died successful infirmary aft being stabbed erstwhile successful the thorax during an altercation in a parking store astatine the Halifax Shopping Centre connected April 22, 2024.

His 3 co-accused person already pleaded guilty, one to second-degree execution and 2 to manslaughter, and are at assorted stages successful the sentencing process. The boy was 16 at the clip of the incident and his identity — similar those of his co-accused — is protected by a work ban.

The lad did not present the fatal blow. But erstwhile his lawyer opened the defence lawsuit Monday by having her lawsuit archer his mentation of what happened, his grounds showed helium was the catalyst for the deadly confrontation.

The boy and Al Marrach were some funny successful the aforesaid girl.

"She benignant of flicked backmost and distant betwixt Ahmad and me," the teen testified.

Most of their communications, by substance messages and Instagram posts, were a jumble of slang, abbreviations and emojis. Without the discourse and translation provided by the accused, the messages would person been mostly unintelligible. 

The teen said the archetypal clip helium realized determination was a occupation was erstwhile helium received a substance "out of the blue" from Al Marrach.

"You're done, bitch," the substance read.

The teen said helium wasn't initially definite what the substance meant and replied with 2 laughter emojis. He yet figured retired that the notation suggested the miss had chosen Al Marrach implicit him.

As they traded barbs, the teen said helium yet texted Al Marrach: "I'll stomp your ass." But helium told the tribunal helium didn't truly mean to bash that. He sent another text that said: "You going to beryllium leaking erstwhile I'm done with you," and explained he'd meant helium intended to bloody Al Marrach's nose.

The 2 yet agreed to conscionable aft schoolhouse to fight. He said Al Marrach insisted the confrontation instrumentality spot astatine the promenade portion the accused said helium wanted it to hap successful Dartmouth wherever helium and his friends lived.

He said helium was suspicious of Al Marrach's insistence connected the promenade setting, truthful helium asked his friends to travel along.

"Let maine tally them for 10 seconds, past leap in," helium texted them.

The 4 accused took a bus to the Scotia Square Mall successful downtown Halifax and boarded different autobus to the Halifax Shopping Centre.

The accused said they didn't speech overmuch arsenic they rode connected the autobus and the taxable of weapons ne'er came up. He admitted helium was carrying a weapon successful his backpack.

The boy's first day of grounds ended with the accomplishment of the bus astatine the buying centre. His relationship of the combat itself volition travel erstwhile the proceedings resumes aboriginal this week.