Catherine McDonald
Crime Specialist
Catherine McDonald is Global News Toronto’s veteran crime reporter. Catherine worked as a reporter in Red Deer, Alberta and Victoria, BC before moving to Toronto in November 2000 where she has worked at Global since. She began reporting exclusively on crime shortly after covering the release of Karla Homolka from prison in 2005.
A graduate of McGill University and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Catherine has covered some of the biggest crime stories in the Greater Toronto Area over the years, including the disappearance and murder of 10-year-old Holly Jones in 2003, the murder of Markham woman Alicia Ross in 2005, the Bruce McArthur serial killer investigation and the murders of billionaires Honey and Barry Sherman.
Spending a lot of time in court, some of the notable trials she won’t forget include the trial of two Mississauga sisters convicted of first-degree murder after drowning their mother in a bathtub in 2002, the trial of a Toronto anaesthesiologist convicted of sexually assaulting 21 women while they were sedated on the operating room table between 2006 and 2010 and the trial of three Toronto police officers charged with gang sexual assault. More recently, Catherine has covered the trial of a man found guilty of driving while drunk and stoned – killing a young father who was the son-in-law of a senior officer from York Regional Police – and the guilty plea and sentencing of a once well-respected lawyer who was married to a Justice of the Peace from Newmarket, who was convicted of bigamy and forging divorce documents.
When not chasing bad guys and telling the stories of the victims left behind, Catherine can be found at the gym or at the playground chasing after her two young girls.
Contact Catherine McDonald
Video Archives
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Daughter of Mississauga businessman murdered Wednesday speaks out
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Sentencing hearing begins for Brampton man who pleaded guilty to murdering ex-girlfriend
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Toronto mother charged after allegedly pushing 4-year-old son off balcony
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Hansel Duarte Quintela is facing a life sentence after pleading guilty to the Second Degree Murder of his wife
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Suspect cross-examined at murder trial for 12-year-old boy killed in shooting
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Police seek 2 drivers in fatal hit-and-run in Scarborough
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Man on trial for murder of 12-year-old says he fired in self-defense
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Two men on trial for manslaughter in fatal fight outside Jack Astor’s
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Two men on trial for manslaughter after deadly bar fight in Toronto
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Police investigate how 6-year-old boy fell to death from 10th floor balcony
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Toronto man on trial for 1st-degree murder of his wife in alleged hit-and-run
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Man who pleaded guilty to murdering girlfriend sentenced to life with no parole for 15 years
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Survivor of shooting that killed 12-year-old testifies at murder trial
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Man pleads guilty to manslaughter after deadly assault on a 69-year-old man at TTC subway station
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Two guns used in fatal shooting of 12-year-old boy, trial hears
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Trial for 3 men accused in murder of a boy struck by a stray bullet begins
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Body-worn camera footage released in fatal police shooting of 16-year-old in Toronto
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Closing arguments delivered in Regent Park youth worker murder trial
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Man in critical condition after a shooting involving Toronto police
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New details emerge about suspect in TMU hit-and-run
Author Archives
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Toronto mom charged with attempted murder after 4-year-old allegedly pushed from balconyA 33-year-old Toronto mother is facing charges in the alleged attempted murder of her toddler son at a downtown condo Monday night, Global News has learned.CrimeMay 14
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Toronto man who admits he murdered wife tells court he’s ‘truly regretful’Last month, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is facing a life sentence, with parole eligibility between 10 and 25 years.CrimeMay 13
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Toronto ISIS financier pleads guiltyKhalilullah Yousuf raised money for Gaza but sent it to ISIS.CanadaMay 12
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‘I was disgusted with myself’: Toronto man on trial for murdering 12-year-old testifiesOne of three men on trial for the first-degree murder of a 12-year-old boy, who was struck by a stray bullet on Jane Street nearly five years ago, testified Wednesday.CrimeMay 7
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Manslaughter trial continues for 2 men after fight at Scarborough Jack Astor’sEvidence was heard at the manslaughter trial for Alexander Campbell and Tyler Josling, two customers who court has heard intervened to help subdue a third.CrimeMay 6
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Two men who intervened in Toronto bar fight on trial for manslaughterThe manager of a Jack Astor's restaurant in Toronto where a bar fight turned deadly testified that the accused were defending him after an unprovoked assault.CrimeMay 6
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Toronto man on trial for wife’s murder in alleged hit-and-runPolice received a 911 call from a witness who saw the 43-year-old mother lying on the ground on the side of Gamma Street near Browns Line and Evans Avenue just before 3 a.m.CrimeMay 2
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‘A pervasive scourge on society’: Ontario man handed sentence for girlfriend’s murderA Toronto man has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 15 years after pleading guilty to the second-degree murder of his girlfriend.CrimeApr 30
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Survivor of shooting that killed Toronto boy says he pointed gun at the suspects firstIn a downtown courtroom Tuesday, one of the occupants of a car that was the target of a shooting that resulted in the death of a 12-year-old, testified he pulled out a gun first.CrimeApr 29
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Ontario man with ‘track record of assault on public transit’ pleads guilty to manslaughterThe man was pleaded guilty to manslaughter after he pushed a retired stranger over at a Toronto subway station. The victim suffered a hip injury and died from the complications.CrimeApr 28
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Guns used in death of Toronto boy hit by stray bullet shown to jury at murder trialTwo Glock 19 handguns which were used in the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Dante Andreatta were shown to a jury on Friday. He was killed by a stray bullet in Toronto.CrimeApr 25
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Trial underway for 3 men accused in murder of Ontario boy hit by stray bulletAlmost five years after a 12-year-old boy was killed by a stray bullet in Toronto, the first-degree murder trial for the two alleged shooters and the getaway driver has begun.CrimeApr 24
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Rap song found in alleged Toronto shooter’s phone was ‘the truth’: CrownA Crown attorney is prosecuting two men for the first-degree murder of Regent Park youth worker Thane Murray.CrimeApr 23
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Ontario woman killed by on-and-off again boyfriend was failed by system, sister tells courtThe sister of a woman killed by her "on-and-off again" boyfriend told a Toronto courtroom Wednesday the system failed the 30-year-old mother by not protecting her.CrimeApr 16
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Graphic video shown at murder trial for Toronto man accused of former actor’s deathGraphic video footage capturing the moment Gabriel del Castillo Mullally was fatally run over by a car was shown at the trial for the man accused of his murder on Thursday.CrimeApr 10
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Closing arguments at fatal Lake Ontario boat crash trialDefence lawyer Alan Gold told court that there is reasonable doubt that Grkovski was driving at the time of the tragic event.CrimeApr 10
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Toronto man gets life sentence for the ‘senseless slaughter’ of his motherA Toronto man who strangled his mother to death while he was out on bail has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years.CrimeApr 7
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‘Pure act of evil’: Court hears chilling details of deadly TTC stabbing attackNeng Jia Jin has admitted that on Dec. 8, 2022, he fatally stabbed a 31-year-old passenger on a TTC train, and tried to kill another woman.CrimeApr 4
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Ontario man accused of killing girlfriend pleads guilty to murder on eve of trialA Toronto man accused of killing his on-and-off again girlfriend has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on the eve of his trial.CrimeApr 3
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Ontario man found guilty of impaired driving causing death of friendNew details emerged Monday in the case of a man charged with impaired operation causing death. Here is what played out in a downtown Toronto courtroom.CrimeApr 1
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Suspended driver who caused deadly Toronto crash handed 6-and-a-half year sentenceArtur Kotula was found guilty on two counts of dangerous driving causing death and two counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm in November.CrimeMar 28
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Ontario man who murdered stranger over gold chain given life sentenceA Toronto man who shot and killed Peter Khan, a stranger whom he robbed of his gold chain, has been sentenced to life in prison with a parole ineligibility period of 18 years.CrimeMar 28
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Can accused be convicted in Lake Ontario boat crash even if he wasn’t behind the wheel?Filip Grkovski's lawyer argues he and his client had the right to know what the Crown's theories or routes to conviction were, prior to his client taking the witness box Tuesday.CrimeMar 26
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Judge finds Ontario man not criminally responsible for killing ex-neighbourDevret Clarke’s lawyers have argued for a not criminally responsible finding due to Clarke's untreated schizophrenia at the time of Gars Kourjakian's death on Dec. 30, 2022CrimeMar 26
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Accused in fatal Lake Ontario boat crash denies driving when disaster struckThe 41-year-old Mississauga man is charged with eight alleged offences, including two counts of impaired operation and criminal negligence causing death.CrimeMar 25