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16-year-old boy dies, relative charged after stabbing at family gathering in Hamilton

A 16-year-old boy is dead after a stabbing at a family gathering and a 22-year-old relative is in custody, Hamilton police say.

Police say the teen was transferred to hospital, where he died

Cara Nickerson · CBC News ·
A Hamilton police officer sits outside the door to a home where, police say, a 16-year-old was stabbed during a family gathering.
A Hamilton police officer sits outside the door to a home where, police say, a 16-year-old was stabbed during a family gathering Sunday. (Martin Trainor/CBC)

A 16-year-old boy is dead after a stabbing at a family gathering, Hamilton police say, and his 22-year-old cousin is in custody and charged with murder.

Police said they were called to a home on east Hamilton Mountain around 10 p.m. ET Sunday. They said the teen was transferred to a hospital, where he died. 

Laureano Bistoyong has been charged with first-degree murder.

According to police, Bistoyong fled his family home on Cadham Boulevard and Upper Gage, near Rymal Road, after the stabbing. 

Police tape blocks off access to the home where police say a teen was stabbed at a family gathering on Sunday July 2, 2023.
Hamilton police have a 22-year-old in custody after a teen was stabbed at a famiy gathering Sunday and died in hospital. (Cara Nickerson/CBC)

He was found on Monday morning after a citizen on east Hamilton Mountain called police to report a man in their unlocked car, Det. Sgt. Sara Beck told reporters at a news conference.

"There was something that led to an incident," Beck told CBC Hamilton, but said she could not give any more details on the motive. 

Beck said the stabbing took place inside Bistoyong's residence with "many witnesses who came forward in this case and provided statements."

Bistoyong was scheduled to appear in court Monday afternoon. 

Neighbour says family having 'yearly barbecue' before stabbing

Linda Page said she has been living across the street from the house on Cadham Boulevard for 12 years. She said the family was having "a yearly barbecue" on Sunday night. 

"They're very quiet people and once a year, they get together and it's not overly noisy. No yelling, no screaming, nothing."

Page said she only knew something was wrong when police vehicles rolled up with their lights flashing. 

She said the whole event has been unsettling in a community that is "very quiet." 

House where stabbing happened from across the street.
Linda Page says that for 12 years, she has lived across the street from the house where a 16-year-old was stabbed. (Cara Nickerson/CBC)

Neighbour Joe Locicero shares a back fence with the family living at the home where the stabbing took place.

He said he was out for a cigarette on his front porch when he heard "screaming and wailing" from the house behind him.

Up until then, he said, "none of the sounds that we heard would have indicated anything getting violent or all this. There was talking, and laughter and happiness."

At the news conference, Beck said, "the family is devastated by their loss and have asked for privacy."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cara Nickerson

Cara Nickerson is a journalist with the CBC's Ontario local news stations, primarily CBC Hamilton. She previously worked with Hamilton Community News. Cara has a special interest in stories that focus on social issues and community.

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