In 2022, a high school student in Edmonton was attacked and killed. Two years later, one of the seven young people accused in his death is on trial.
Because the victim and the attackers were minors at the time, the Youth Criminal Justice Act prevents journalists from disclosing their identities, their families, or the location of the fatal attack.
During ongoing witness testimony on Friday, the judge had to momentarily halt the proceedings due to outbursts in the courtroom.
The mother of the victim was extremely upset and needed a break to compose herself before the court could proceed.
The cousins of the teenager who was killed claim the mother hasn't been the same since he died.
“She’s a shell of what she used to be. Her vibrancy, her zest for life, her reason for living is gone,” one said.
They believe the witnesses, including a young woman who was with two of the attackers before and after the beating, were not fully disclosing what they know in court.
“All these people have very selective memories about those events and it’s just so frustrating. It seems like they’re mocking the justice system. We have waited two years for this,” the cousin said.
They’re also frustrated with the restrictions on reporting in the case.
“It’s unfortunate that we can’t say his name anymore, because of the publication ban on the victim.”
And they argue that the public has a right to know the names of the attackers as well.
“With the level of violence we’ve seen in this crime — they had knives, hockey sticks, and bb guns, which they used on him and caused severe damage to his body — people should know if they’re near someone in a classroom who did something like that.”
They say the most difficult part of the trial so far is knowing their loved one was alive immediately after the attack, standing and reaching for his backpack before collapsing.
“I hoped that when the attack first began, he would lose consciousness right away, so he wouldn’t have to feel pain, from the perspective of the family,” another cousin said.
“It was really hard for us to learn that he actually didn’t lose consciousness, he experienced it.”
They are aware of video evidence of the attack that is expected to be shown in court, and they dread having to watch it — but say they will, as it shows their cousin’s final moments.
“We deserve closure, as to what happened.”
The trial will resume on Monday, with two more trials for additional accused individuals scheduled to begin later this year.
