Teen testifies to witnessing fatal stabbing of 16-year-old at Halifax Shopping Centre

A boy who was with Ahmad Al Marrach on the day he was fatally stabbed testified Wednesday at the trial of one of four teens accused of killing the 16-year-old. 

The youth accused is charged with second-degree murder in Al Marrach's death and his identity is protected by a publication ban.  

The witness is 15 and his identity is also protected by a publication ban. He had a family member with him in the witness box for moral support and testified in Arabic, with the help of a translator.

He testified in Nova Scotia youth court how Al Marrach asked him and others to accompany him to the Halifax Shopping Centre on the afternoon of April 22, 2024.

Al Marrach had agreed to fight another boy at the mall and he wanted backup to ensure it was a fair fight.

The witness said he and his group arrived at the bus terminal across the street from the mall, then adjourned to a nearby Tim Hortons to wait.

He said he, Al Marrach and another boy went to the mall parkade, where they saw the other group of four youths approaching.

The witness said he ran back to the Tim Hortons for reinforcements.

He said when he returned to the mall parkade, he saw Al Marrach fighting with another boy.

Al Marrach's supporters tried to approach the fight, but the witness said one of the members of the other group pulled a knife. That youth has already pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

The witness said his group had not been expecting weapons, so none of them was armed.

He testified that they searched the parkade for anything they could use to defend themselves but they couldn't find anything, so they stayed back.

Security video from the parkade that was played in court Tuesday showed a group of teens milling around well back from where the skirmish was taking place.

The witness said Al Marrach had one of his assailants in a headlock when a girl in the other group pushed them to the ground, then proceeded to kick Al Marrach in the head. The 14-year-old girl has also pleaded guilty to manslaughter. 

The fighters ended up back on their feet when the witness said he saw the girl from the other group grab Al Marrach's backpack.

He said Al Marrach chased after her and that's when he said he saw another member of the other group pull out a knife and stab Al Marrach.

He said after that, it was like it was just him and Al Marrach in the parkade and everyone else had disappeared.

The witness said he was able to identify the knife from pictures.

When pressed by the Crown as to what he meant, he said the boy accused of doing the actual stabbing had posted pictures of himself on social media holding a knife, and he assumed it was the one used in the stabbing.

The witness said police had retrieved those images shortly after the incident.

When asked by the Crown for other details of the skirmish, including what the other participants were doing, he said he couldn't remember because he had been focused solely on Al Marrach.

The trial hit a stumbling block Wednesday afternoon when the family member who was providing moral support to the witness said the accused was looking at his relative in a threatening manner.

That prompted a debate among the lawyers about what to do.

After lengthy delays for lawyers to consult one another, they opted to continue the trial.

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