3rd teen convicted of manslaughter in Halifax mall parking garage stabbing

A teenage boy has been found guilty of manslaughter in the 2024 death of a 16-year-old from Syria who was stabbed in a Halifax parking garage.

Ahmad Al Marrach was a Grade 10 student at Citadel High School who had come to Canada with his family as refugees from Syria in 2016.

In April 2024, he was attacked by a group of teenagers in a parking garage next to the Halifax Shopping Centre and later died in hospital.

On Tuesday, a teen — who was 16 at the time of the crime — was found guilty of manslaughter by a judge after a youth court trial that began in January.

The Crown initially sought a conviction of second-degree murder, but the charge was later reduced when they agreed they could not prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

During the trial, the youth testified he didn’t know his friend was going to stab Al Marrach but the Crown argued he knew severe bodily harm or death was a possibility when planning the attack with his friends.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“If a group decides to do something together and one of that group does something else that causes harm, if that something else —  the general nature of it — is reasonably foreseeable, then the entire group can be held responsible,” said Nova Scotia Senior Crown Attorney, Sarah Kirby.

Although the defence claimed the fight that resulted in Al Marrach’s death was a separate venture, Judge Elizabeth Buckle ultimately sided with the Crown.

“We’re pleased with the result, but of course the result doesn’t change the fact that the victim is no longer here. And the impact of his death still affects his friends and family and the community at large,” said Kirby.

The Crown told the judge they are interested in seeking an adult sentence. That means despite not being the one to stab Al Marrach, he faces the most prison time time if sentenced as an adult.

The case will return to court in October to go over reports and to discuss sentencing.

2:15 Stabbing victim Ahmad Al Marrach’s mother says court process has been disappointing

The boy and three other teens charged in connection with Al Marrach’s death — a girl and two boys — were all initially charged with second-degree murder.

Their names and any details that could be used to identify them are protected from publication under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

One of the boys, who was 14 at the time, pleaded guilty in January to second-degree murder, admitting that he was the one who stabbed the Grade 10 student with a stolen kitchen knife. Another boy, who was 17 at the time, pleaded guilty last October to manslaughter.

The girl was sentenced this past April to three more months in custody, followed by 24 months of rehabilitation in the community, as part of the Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision program.

Court has previously heard the deadly brawl was prompted by a disagreement over a girl involved with Al Marrach and one of the accused.

— with a file from The Canadian Press