A Toronto judge has denied bail to a third girl charged with second-degree murder in the death of a man who was allegedly attacked by a group of teens.
Police have said Ken Lee, a 59-year-old who was living in the city’s shelter system, died in mid-December after allegedly being swarmed and stabbed by eight girls in Toronto’s downtown core.
The three 13-year-olds, three 14-year-olds and two 16-year-olds facing second-degree murder charges in Lee’s death cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
A lawyer representing one of the eight teens said on Friday that four of them have been out on bail and two were denied bail earlier this week.
Justice Maria Sirivar ordered Friday evening during a bail hearing that a seventh teen is to stay in custody until a trial begins and said the eighth teen is scheduled for a bail hearing on Monday.
Police have said they believe the accused girls congregated after meeting on social media and are from homes across the Greater Toronto Area.
Community members have said Lee was a kind, quiet man who was trying to defend a friend before he was allegedly attacked.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2023
