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Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
Nearly three years after he deliberately ran down pedestrians on Toronto’s busy Yonge Street, killing 10 people and injuring many others, a 28-year-old man has been convicted of carrying out the deadliest mass killing in the city’s history.
After a seven-week trial held virtually last fall as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a judge on Wednesday found Alek Minassian guilty on 10 charges of first-degree murder and 16 of attempted murder.
Almost three years after the April 23, 2018 van attack in Toronto, a verdict has been reached in the trial against the attacker, Alek Minassian. On March 3, 2021, Justice Anne Molloy from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice delivered a verdict finding Minassian guilty on all 26 counts, specifically 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder.
In the case of
Her Majesty the Queen vs. Alek Minassian, the verdict by Justice Malloy was a live-streamed oral statement delivered with a 69-page document divided into 257 sections that outlined the reasoning behind the guilty verdict.
The verdict effectively rejected the argument that Minassian was not criminally responsible for his actions due to autism spectrum disorder. However, advocates for people with autism have said they’re concerned the trial may contribute to the stigmatization of people with disabilities.
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CHRIS HELGREN/Reuters
Should I refer to the person who killed 10 people and injured 16 more in a 2018 van attack in Toronto by his given name? Or should I follow the recommendation of the judge in the case, Justice Anne Molloy, and just call him John Doe?
The journalist in me, who argues for transparency and openness at all times, wants to call him by his real name. But the other me, who seeks to prevent further violence – particularly violence against women – wants to deprive him of notoriety. Notoriety is the oxygen that fuels mass killers. They write about it in their manifestos. They brag about being inspired by one another.