Teen who took part in Ahmad Al Marrach killing sentenced to 27 months

A Nova Scotia teen has been handed a 27-month intensive rehabilitative sentence for his part in the killing of Ahmad Al Marrach in April 2024.

Al Marrach was swarmed and stabbed in a parking garage at the Halifax Shopping Centre.

The teen, now 18, is one of four who attacked Al Marrach and left him bleeding on the floor of the garage. He died later in hospital.

The person sentenced Friday did not deliver the fatal blow.

But in a sentencing decision released Friday afternoon in Nova Scotia youth court, the teen was identified as a person who kicked Al Marrach 15 times, mostly in the head. He also repeatedly punched Al Marrach. He then pulled a knife to threaten Al Marrach's friends to prevent them from intervening.

Judge Mark Heerema described the teen's actions as cruel and said they showed "a profound lack of humanity."

The judge said the teen tried to project a tough demeanour and initially rejected the idea of participating in any programs to change his behaviour. But the judge noted he has recently changed his attitude, although the judge also questioned whether the change was genuine.

The first 10 months of the sentence will be spent in jail with the remainder under close supervision in the community.

It is similar to the sentence Heerema handed the only girl to participate in the attack on Al Marrach, although the Crown alleges she has already breached her conditions by contacting her boyfriend — the person who actually stabbed Al Marrach.

All four youths are under court order to have no contact with one another. The girl is now back in jail, awaiting a hearing later this month to determine whether she breached her release conditions.

Sentencing for her boyfriend, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, started last month and will continue in September. The fourth teen is also still going through the sentencing process.

In addition to jail and intensive rehabilitation, the teen sentenced on Friday is banned from having firearms for five years.