Man who carried out Toronto van attack found guilty
Posted March 3, 2021 7:50 am.
Last Updated March 3, 2021 8:36 am.
TORONTO – A man who killed 10 people and injured 16 others by deliberately driving a van down a Toronto sidewalk close to three years ago has been found guilty on all counts at his trial.
The now-28-year-old had pleaded not guilty to the 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 of attempted murder.
On Wednesday, Justice Anne Molloy said the man sought media attention as part of the 2018 Toronto van attack. She says she no longer wishes the accused be named, instead referring to him as “John Doe” during her judgement, which was live streamed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Justice Molloy announced that she will not be using the accused name during while reading her written reasoning. She will be referring to him only as John Doe. She then names the many heroes & first responders from that horrific day.
— Adrian Ghobrial (@AdrianGhobrial) March 3, 2021
Molloy said April 23, 2018, was a beautiful day in Toronto. Residents were out in abundance, going about their business.
“Unfortunately, April 23, 2018, was also the date selected by John Doe, weeks in advance, that he would kill as many residents as possible,” Molloy said, adding the man sought to be killed by responding officers immediately following the attack. Instead, he was taken into custody at the scene.
The key issue at the killer’s trial, which began November 2020 without a jury, was whether he had the capacity at the time of the attack to make a rational choice.
He argued he should be found not criminally responsible for his actions due to his autism spectrum disorder.
While Molloy acknowledged the 28-year-old was diagnosed with autism at a young age, she said there is no connection between Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to criminality. She added the man was fully capable of making a rational choice at the time and deliberately chose to commit mass murder.
“It is clear to me that Mr. Doe knew his actions would be seen as morally wrong,” the justice said.
The man from Richmond Hill, Ont., admitted to planning and carrying out the attack, leaving his state of mind the only issue at trial.
Justice Molloy "Mr. Doe is criminally responsible for his actions. I find Mr. Doe guilty for all 26 of his actions."
— Adrian Ghobrial (@AdrianGhobrial) March 3, 2021
Toronto Mayor John Tory issued a statement shortly after the verdict, saying while there will never be full closure for the families of the victims, the proceedings and decision will help.
“My focus today – as it has been every day since this terrible tragedy – is on those 10 innocent people who lost their lives, on the 16 innocent people who were injured, and all the friends, families, bystanders, whose lives were forever changed,” read Tory’s statement, in part.
My statement on today’s verdict in the Yonge Street Tragedy trial pic.twitter.com/FYnl1lYc1r
— John Tory (@JohnTory) March 3, 2021
Three weeks before the attack, the killer booked a rental van for April 23, 2018 after he completed his final college exam.
It was about 1:30 p.m. local time when he sat in he driver’s seat at Yonge Street and Finch Avenue at a red light. When it turned green, he floored it, hopping the curb.
The now-28-year-old drove for about two kilometres on and off the sidewalk, killing and injuring pedestrians along the way.
Betty Forsyth, Ji Hun Kim, So He Chung, Geraldine Brady, Chul Min Kang, Anne Marie Victoria D’Amico, Munir Najjar, Dorothy Marie Sewell, Andrea Bradden, and Beutis Renuka Amarasingha died in the attack.
Justice Molloy is now reading out the names of the 10 people killed on April 23rd. Beutis Renuka Amarasinghe,
Andrea Knafelc Bradden, Geraldine Brady, So He Chung,
Anne Marie D'Amico, Betty Forsyth, Chul Min "Eddie" Kang, Ji Hun Kim, Munir Najjar and
Dorothy Sewell.— Adrian Ghobrial (@AdrianGhobrial) March 3, 2021
The killer was arrested moments later after a failed attempt to commit suicide by cop. He tried to fool an approaching police officer by pulling his wallet, pretending it was a gun, but it didn’t work.
-With files from The Canadian Press