Sentencing begins for teen in Halifax mall parkade killing

Sentencing has begun for one of four teens convicted in the killing of Ahmad Al Marrach, who was stabbed in a parking garage at the Halifax Shopping Centre in April 2024 and later died in hospital.

On Friday, the sentencing hearing for the teen who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder got underway. He was 14 when he fatally stabbed Al Marrach, 16, in the chest during a fight that involved three other teenagers joining in the attack.

All four teens, whose identities are protected by a publication ban, were initially charged with murder, but the other three were eventually convicted of the lesser offence of manslaughter. 

As the hearing got underway in Nova Scotia youth court, Judge Bronwyn Duffy granted a defence request to add an additional, discretionary publication ban that covers the mental-health assessments done on the youth as part of the sentencing process. The judge said releasing the information would increase the stigma and make rehabilitation more difficult.

The defence is seeking an intensive rehabilitative sentence for the youth, which puts the emphasis on reforming his behaviour, rather than imposing a lengthy jail term. The Crown had already given up efforts to have the teen sentenced as an adult in exchange for his agreement to plead guilty.

The hearing will continue for one more day in September and a half-day in October before Duffy delivers her decision.