Lawyers are set to begin legal arguments today for four girls scheduled to face trial this year over their alleged role in a deadly group attack on a homeless man in Toronto.
The teens are part of a group police allege swarmed and stabbed Kenneth Lee, a 59-year-old man who was living in the city’s shelter system, in December 2022.
Eight girls between the ages of 13 and 16 were arrested in the hours after Lee’s death.
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All of them were charged with second-degree murder, and four have since pleaded guilty to lesser charges of manslaughter or assault.
A judge-only trial is scheduled this month for two of the remaining girls on charges of second-degree murder.
The other two are set to be tried by a judge and jury in May, one for second-degree murder and the other for manslaughter.
All four of the girls headed to trial were initially supposed to have their case decided by a jury, but two of them recently switched to a judge-alone trial after the Crown and judge agreed to a request from their lawyers.
The cases have been split into two trials due to scheduling issues.
None of the accused can be identified because they are underage.
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