A murder trial started today for a Halifax-area youth charged in the stabbing death last year of a 16-year-old boy.
The 17-year-old accused pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder following the death on April 22 of Ahmad Maher Al Marrach, who was found badly injured in a parking garage near the Halifax Shopping Centre.
The name of the accused or any details that could be used to identify him are protected from publication under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
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In her opening statement before the judge-only trial, Crown attorney Sarah Kirby recognized that another youth fatally stabbed Al Marrach after the accused took part in a group attack on the boy.
Kirby told Halifax youth court the evidence will show that the accused helped plan the assault, which he knew could lead to the death of Al Marrach.
In response, defence lawyer Anna Mancini said few of the facts in the case are in dispute, but she said the evidence will show her client was “not a party to the offence of murder.”
Mancini described several ways the Crown could try to prove its case, but she argued the evidence will show her client did not intend to cause death or bodily harm that would likely lead to death.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 6, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
