TORONTO – The man convicted of killing 11 passers-by while driving his vehicle on Toronto’s sidewalks in 2018 will not face his sentence for several months.
The Superior Court of Ontario explained Monday that it would first await the decision of the Supreme Court of Canada in the case of Alexandre Bissonnette, a judgment which could have implications in the case of Alek Minassian.
Justice Anne Molloy convicted Alek Minassian last year of 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder in connection with the April 23, 2018 vehicle ramming attack on the streets of Toronto.
The Superior Court wishes to hear the opinion of the Supreme Court on the sentences for multiple murders in the case of Alexandre Bissonnette, the killer of the Grand Mosque of Quebec in 2017. The Criminal Code provides since 2011 that the sentences for each murder can add up — they are purged “consecutively”.
Bissonnette, who had pleaded guilty to six counts of first-degree murder, was sentenced at trial to a minimum of 40 years in prison before he could apply for parole. But the Quebec Court of Appeal then reduced this minimum sentence to 25 years in prison. The Court of Appeal effectively struck down this provision allowing for consecutive sentencing.
The Crown then took this decision to the Supreme Court, which agreed last May to consider the constitutionality of consecutive sentences.
Pending his opinion, the Ontario Superior Court indicates that Minassian will have to appear again on April 5. The Crown had already told the court that victims and relatives wanted to testify in person about the impact this tragedy had on their lives, which was not possible because of the pandemic.
Minassian was convicted of 10 murders last year, but another victim of the bombing, Amaresh Tesfamariam, died a few months ago from his injuries. Ms Tesfamariam was paralyzed from neck to toe and never left the hospital. Toronto police, the coroner’s office and Ms. Tesfamariam’s family consider it a homicide.