(Toronto) The man responsible for the 2018 Toronto van bombing has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years.
Updated yesterday at 6:46 p.m.
Alek Minassian was also sentenced to 20 years in prison for the 15 counts of attempted murder, which must be served concurrently.
Justice Anne Molloy, who presided over the trial, said the Supreme Court’s recent decision in the Quebec mosque bombing case barred consecutive prison sentences, but she assured that victim statements and relatives returned earlier on Monday still mattered.
“Each of those lives was precious,” Judge Molloy said with a lump in her throat as she handed down the sentence. What you expressed (Monday) matters, it matters, it matters to me and it will matter to other people who will have to make decisions in the future. »
Eight women and two men died on April 23, 2018, when a 25-year-old man, who felt sexually rejected by women and who had become radicalized in the underworld of the internet, deliberately drove a van from bicycle on a busy sidewalk in the metropolis, in the early afternoon. Another woman died more than three years later from injuries sustained that day.
After a trial by judge alone, Minassian was found guilty last year of 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder. First degree murder automatically carries a life sentence without the possibility of parole for 25 years.
Before passing sentence on Monday, Judge Anne Moloy heard dozens of statements from survivors, family members of victims and citizens affected by the tragedy.
In particular, the court was able to see a drawing, submitted by Diyon, a nine-year-old boy who lost his mother, Renuka Amarasinghe, that day. The colored pencil sketch on lined paper of a shining sun above the boy and his mother moved the courtroom to tears. “It’s adorable,” Judge Molloy said, wiping away a few tears.
Haneen Najjar, who lost her father in the attack, said she immigrated to Canada in 2017 with her brother, leaving behind her parents in Jordan. She feared that something might happen to them while they were so far away. “I never thought this fear would materialize here in Toronto, thousands of miles from home and in such a horrific and devastating way,” she said.
His father, Munir Najjar, died that day at age 85. He was in town with his wife to visit their children and grandchildren, she said. She said her 15-year-old son discovered his grandfather had died in the attack after recognizing a single shoe in the street near a covered body. “Can anyone imagine the impact of such a disaster on a child? she said through her tears.
Robert Forsyth spoke in court about his aunt, Betty Forsyth, whom he referred to as a “traveling library” who knows all the family information. “His presence and many untold stories are lost forever,” he said in a quavering voice, as he looked at Alek Minassian.
This hearing was the first opportunity for victims and families to face the killer in person, after a trial by videoconference.
Robert Anderson described a litany of debilitating injuries in his victim impact statement, which was read by the Crown prosecutor. He spent four weeks in intensive care, suffered a cerebral hemorrhage; his lacerated liver required surgery and part of the spleen had to be removed. “My short-term memory continues to suffer from the head injuries,” he said.
Jun Seok Park said her family has since disowned her because because of this tragedy, she and her family lost all their money. She was in a coma in hospital for over a month and now lives with permanent brain damage, hearing loss and vision problems. “Because of this brain injury, I will worry every day until I die that I will have a seizure and a stroke. »
Three women who witnessed the attack also spoke about their problems since that day. Janet Jiang cried as she recounted performing CPR on a woman who was grabbed, only to watch her die. Mme Jiang says she has been constantly doubting herself ever since.
I replay that day in my head a thousand times, wondering if I could have done things differently and if she would still be here today.
Janet Jiang
Judge Anne Molloy’s voice cracked several times as she thanked those who had spoken. “I admire your courage, I’m so sorry this happened to you,” the judge told Ms.me Jiang.
Betty Forsyth, Ji Hun Kim, So He Chung, Geraldine Brady, Chul Min Kang, Anne Marie D’Amico, Munir Najjar, Dorothy Sewell, Andrea Bradden and Beutis Renuka Amarasingha and Amaresh Tesfamariam died as a result of the attack.