Argument over graffiti ends in death of Montreal teen

On a Saturday night in November 2009, three teenagers from the Montreal borough of Verdun headed out to a secluded area under a highway overpass where local youths gather to paint graffiti.

The long-time friends, one 14-year-old and two 15-yearolds, were drinking beer when an affable 19-year-old named Brian Kachur showed up.

Mr. Kachur considered himself a graffiti artist, and his graffiti tag "Razor" could be found on buildings and concrete pillars across southwestern Montreal.

As he struck up a conversation with the three strangers, Mr. Kachur told the boys his tag name.

The name was familiar to one of the 15-year-olds, who had been miffed a while back after noticing that on two occasions someone named Razor had spray-painted his name over part of his own tag -a frowned-upon practice in the graffiti world known as cross-tagging.

Mr. Kachur’s admission would trigger a violent chain of events that would end in his death, his beaten body tossed into the St. Lawrence River, and two teenagers facing prison terms.

"This is why your son died," a police detective told Mr. Kachur’s mother, showing her a photo of the artist’s tag on a Metro grocery store in Verdun. It partly covered the tag of the 15-year-old.

The boy began to devise a plan to exact revenge on Mr. Kachur that night under the overpass as the group drank beer, smoked marijuana and took Ecstasy.

According to evidence at the preliminary hearing of the 14-year-old, Mr. Kachur suggested they return to his house to collect cans of spray paint.

While Mr. Kachur was in his house, the 15-year-old whose graffiti had been cross-tagged told the other boys he wanted to beat up the artist.

The 14-year-old agreed, but the other youth said he wasn’t sure whether he would participate.

As the four headed toward the St. Rémi tunnel, the 15 year-old picked up a brick and asked his two friends to do the same.

The youths spent the next few hours painting graffiti in the industrial sector of Verdun.

Around 3 a.m., the 15-year-old put his plan into action.

He told Mr. Kachur he had to meet his brother near the Verdun Marina so they could all attend a party.

As they made their way to a park beside the St. Lawrence River, the other 15-year-old boy decided to head home.

The park beside the marina was familiar to Mr. Kachur. He had been there the day before and had started a new tag on a small pumping station in the park.

As Mr. Kachur was finishing the tag, the 15-yearold came up behind him and smashed a brick across the back of his head, according to testimony he gave last December at the preliminary hearing of the 14-year-old.

As Mr. Kachur slumped to the ground, the 15-year-old struck him with the brick several more times and kicked him repeatedly.

According to the 15-year-old, his 14-year-old friend also kicked Mr. Kachur and threw a brick at his head, although the younger boy claims he has no memory of this because he was intoxicated.

One of the boys then stomped on Mr. Kachur’s face.

The two teens then picked up Mr. Kachur’s 133-pound body and carried it more than 100 metres to the river’s edge.

They took off his shoes and trousers and dropped him into the frigid water.

Theresa Brochet had spent many years fretting about her son, a "sweet and charming" young man who was struggling to find his way in life.

As a boy, Mr. Kachur was diagnosed with at-tention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He dropped out of school in his early teens and came off Ritalin because it made him ill. His graffiti was an outlet for his artistic talent, his mother said.

In April 2010, police charged both teenagers with second-degree murder. Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, they cannot be named.

Two months ago, the 15-year-old, who is now 17, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. A date for his sentencing has not been set.

The 14-year-old, who is now 16, pleaded guilty Monday to a lesser charge of manslaughter. He received a three-year sentence.

Ms. Brochet said she finds it unfathomable that her son was killed because of a cross tag. She thinks that "two violent kids" used it as an excuse to beat up her son and wonders whether the 15-year-old was trying to "make a name for himself on the street."

After the youth was arrested, police learned that he had told some friends that he had "killed Razor."

In a victim impact statement delivered in court on Monday, Ms. Brochet told Judge André Vincent that she is haunted by the sickening images of her son’s final moments.

"My son was far from perfect," she said. "I loved him and he loved me. I will always remember the day his coffin was closed and I knew I would never see my son smile again."