HALIFAX 鈥� The grim details of the stabbing death of a 16-year-old Halifax boy last April were revealed in court on Friday as convictions were recorded for two teens who had pleaded guilty to taking part in the crime.
In October, a 14-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Ahmad Maher Al Marrach. The boy was found badly injured in a parking garage next to the Halifax Shopping Centre on April 22. He died later in hospital.
On Friday, agreed statements of fact for each of the accused were read into the record during a hearing in Nova Scotia youth court. Aside from a few details, the documents are virtually identical.
Al Marrach, a well-liked student at Citadel High School in Halifax, arrived in Canada with his family several years ago after escaping the war in Syria.
Two other teenage boys 鈥� ages 17 and 15 鈥� are facing trials for second-degree murder later this year. Shortly after the killing was reported, all four of the accused were initially charged with second-degree murder. Their identities are protected from publication under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
According to the statements, the two teens who pleaded guilty to manslaughter did not take part in the stabbing and did not know what the other teens had planned to do that afternoon. The convicted pair are expected to be sentenced later this year.
The statements say that on April 22, the four accused in the case met at a downtown Halifax shopping mall, where one of the two still facing a murder charge purchased a large kitchen knife from a discount store. One of the statements says the girl was in a relationship with that boy.
All four then boarded a transit bus and headed to the Halifax Shopping Centre in the city's west end. That's where one of the accused started a fight with Al Marrach to settle a dispute over a girl. Video images taken from the girl's cellphone show the other three teens quickly joined the attack on the boy, punching and kicking him for about a minute.
At one point, the girl can be heard saying, "Those are nice shoes," referring to the victim's sneakers. She then says, "Get his shoes," as the fight continues.
"In the background, some of Ahmad's friends are visible arriving on the scene," one of the statements says. Two of the accused boys can be seen brandishing knives, "telling Ahmad's friends to stay back."
As Al Marrach grabbed the girl's boyfriend, the two fell to the ground and the girl screamed: "Get the f 鈥� k off my man!" The court documents say the girl then kicked Al Marrach in the head several times and the two boys separated.
About 20 seconds later, the girl fell as she ran toward Al Marrach's backpack, which he had left nearby. Al Marrach was then confronted by the boyfriend.
"During the commotion that follows 鈥� (the boyfriend) who is holding a large knife in his right hand steps toward Ahmad, lifts his right hand above his shoulder and plunges the knife into the centre of Ahmad's chest," one of the statements says.
The alleged killer and the girl then fled the garage, the statements say. The pair were arrested two days later.
The other two boys left before police arrived.
Both statements of fact say the girl and her boyfriend "did know that a foreseeable consequence of 鈥� participation in the group assault of Ahmad was the risk of serious bodily harm to Ahmad."
The youth identified as the alleged killer is scheduled to stand trial for second-degree murder next month. The trial for the second teen charged with second-degree murder is expected to start on Monday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2025.
Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press
