Trial opens for third teen accused in Halifax mall stabbing

The trial of one of four teens accused in the stabbing death of another youth last April in Halifax opened in Nova Scotia youth court on Monday.

Anna Mancini, the teen's lawyer, said in her opening argument that in order for her client to be convicted of second-degree murder, the Crown must show he was aware of, encouraged or participated in the fatal stabbing of Ahmad Al Marrach.

Mancini said the evidence isn't there, and she urged Judge Elizabeth Buckle to pay close attention to video evidence that will be introduced later in the trial. She said it will show the positions and actions of each accused in the moments leading up to the stabbing.

Al Marrach, 16, was stabbed in a parking garage at the Halifax Shopping Centre early on the evening of April 22, 2024. He died later in hospital.

The Crown and defence lawyers both acknowledged in their opening statements Monday that there are few factual disputes about the circumstances surrounding Al Marrach's death.

The four teens — three boys and one girl — were each originally charged with second-degree murder. Two have since pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. Their convictions were confirmed Friday and they are to be sentenced in separate hearings in March.

Agreed statements of fact read into the record with their guilty pleas laid out what happened at the shopping mall in an encounter that took just four minutes.

Al Marrach and the teen who's the subject of the current trial had argued over social media about a girl they were both interested in, and they agreed to meet at the mall to fight.

While the teen's text exchanges with Al Marrach suggested it would be a fair fight, an agreed statement of facts entered into evidence on Monday showed he was simultaneously texting the others, getting their agreement to join in and turn the fight into a one-sided attack.

The trial of the fourth teen is scheduled to begin next month.

Police seized video from security cameras in the parkade, and from the cellphones of witnesses and participants. The girl who pleaded guilty to manslaughter recorded the entire encounter.

The first Crown witness was Det. Const. Shawn Flynn of Halifax Regional Police. He was the file co-ordinator who was in charge of all the evidence seized as part of the investigation.

The Crown introduced some 70 exhibits, which were all identified by Flynn. They included Al Marrach's blood-soaked clothing seized at the hospital. His hoodie, jeans and tank top were each pressed between two sheets of plexiglass to protect them and prevent anyone from being exposed to the dried blood.

Al Marrach's mother is attending the hearing, aided by a translator.

The Crown is expected to take about three weeks to present its case.  More dates have been set aside in the spring to conclude the trial.