Closing submissions resume in trial of teen girl accused of killing Kenneth Lee

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 02, 2025 3:36 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Prosecutors are resuming their closing submissions successful the lawsuit of a teen miss accused of fatally stabbing a stateless Toronto antheral during a radical attack.

The Crown began its submissions mid-February but could not proceed until this week owed to scheduling issues.

The girl, who was 14 astatine the clip of the attack, is 1 of 8 teens charged successful the December 2022 decease of Kenneth Lee, a 59-year-old antheral who was surviving successful the city's structure system.

She has pleaded not blameworthy to second-degree execution and the Crown has rejected her effort to plead blameworthy to the lesser complaint of manslaughter.

Prosecutors reason the miss was the lone 1 successful the radical who could person stabbed Lee doubly during the three-minute-20-second swarming, which was captured connected information video.

The defence, meanwhile, says it's intolerable to archer from the video who stabbed Lee and when, noting Lee himself didn't look to announcement the wounded astatine the time.

They support the miss wasn't the 1 who dealt the lethal blow and reason the Crown has fallen "far, acold abbreviated of impervious beyond a tenable doubt" for second-degree murder.

Lee died successful the aboriginal hours of Dec. 18, 2022, aft undergoing exigency country astatine St. Michael's Hospital, tribunal has heard.

Police arrested 8 girls betwixt the ages of 13 and 16 successful the hours that followed. All were charged with second-degree murder, but truthful far, 5 person pleaded blameworthy to lesser charges.

Last year, 4 girls pleaded blameworthy — 3 to manslaughter and 1 to battle with a limb and battle causing bodily harm.

A 5th miss who was initially portion of the proceedings present underway entered a astonishment blameworthy plea to manslaughter successful February aft the Crown said it had reassessed the spot of the grounds for second-degree execution successful her case.

The 2 remaining teens are scheduled to look proceedings successful May, 1 connected a complaint of second-degree execution and the different connected a complaint of manslaughter.