Teen tries to plead guilty in Halifax mall stabbing case

One of four teenagers accused of a deadly attack in April at the Halifax Shopping Centre is trying to plead guilty to manslaughter.

Lawyers for the teenage boy were in Halifax youth court Thursday afternoon to enter the plea. But Judge Alonzo Wright refused to accept it because the lawyers wouldn't provide any facts to support the plea.

The boy's lawyers said an agreed statement of facts supports the guilty plea, but they want to withhold that statement until a judge hears arguments on a publication ban. 

Lawyers for another accused want a ban on publishing information from any guilty pleas until the conclusion of their client's trial. Arguments on the publication ban will be heard next Wednesday.

All four teenagers were initially charged with second-degree murder. They're accused of attacking Ahmad Al Marrach, 16, in a parking garage at the mall on April 22. The boy died later in hospital from stab wounds.

The only girl among the accused has already pleaded guilty to manslaughter. She's to be sentenced early next year. The Crown indicated at the time of her plea that they are no longer seeking to have her sentenced as an adult. 

Two of the teenagers are still facing trial. One was 14 at the time of the incident and the other was 16.