A teenager has been charged with second-degree murder and attempted murder in connection with a fatal stabbing outside a Montreal high school last week.
The accused, who is not being named because he is a minor, appeared Wednesday in youth court.
The 16-year-old will remain detained until his bail hearing, which has been pushed back to March 1.
“(Due to) the gravity of the infraction and many criteria in the law, we have to object to his release and make sure the public is safe,” Crown prosecutor Annie Barbeau said.
The change in charges comes after Lucas Gaudet, 16, died from his injuries. He was stabbed during what Montreal police have described as a fight between students near St. Thomas High School in Pointe-Claire on Feb. 8.
A second teen, who is 15, was also hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Three teenagers were arrested in connection with the violent altercation, including the accused who remains detained. The 16-year-old defendant is also precluded from contacting any of the other people involved in the incident as well as family members of the victim.
The parents of Gaudet say they are too distraught to talk about what happened to their son and the ongoing case.
Meanwhile, the lawyer for the accused says the last week has also been difficult on his client and his family.
“It remains a very tough situation, as you can well imagine, for a 16-year-old with no priors whatsoever and no dealings with a judicial system,” Tom Pentefountas said.
— with files from The Canadian Press