Family of Kenneth Lee says it's haunted by his final moments

Family members of a homeless Toronto man who died after police allege he was swarmed and stabbed by a group of teen girls say the thought of his last moments haunts them.

A Crown prosecutor read out victim impact statements from Kenneth Lee's sister, brother-in-law and cousin Friday at a sentencing hearing for one of the girls accused in his death.

The girl pleaded guilty this spring to manslaughter in Lee's death.

In total, four girls have pleaded guilty in the case — three to manslaughter and one to assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon.

The remaining four are set to be tried in Superior Court next year, three of them on a charge of second-degree murder and one on a charge of manslaughter.

'Our family will never be whole again,' sister says

In her statement, Lee's sister Helen Shum says the realization she will never see her brother's face, hear his voice, or listen to one of his "corny" jokes again is "heartwrenching."

"Every birthday, every celebration, every holiday will never be the same. He was loved," she wrote in her statement.

"I have lost my brother, my mother has lost her son, my children have lost their uncle. Our family will never be whole again. No words can ever fully express the never ending pain and emptiness felt due to the death of my only sibling."

Shum said she has not been able to sleep properly since her brother's death.

Her children, too, have been deeply affected by the trauma of their uncle's death, Shum's statement said, describing her son and daughters as afraid and withdrawn.

Lee was a mentor to his nieces, a "shining light in their life," she said.

"The pain and fear he must have endured haunts them every day," the statement said.

Brother-in-law calls killing a 'stupid' crime

Shum said Lee was the only son in a Chinese family, and as a result, he was "overprotected and over-supported" by his family.

"Perhaps due to this, he did not always make the best decisions for himself or his personal relationships. He never learned to stand on his own," she said.

Friends at a local church helped him to better himself and learn to be on his own, she said.

A week before his death, she said Lee had spoken with their mother to say he was finally feeling happy and was looking forward to coming home soon around Christmas.

Shum said this reunion will never happen now.

Eric Shum, Helen Shum's husband, also submitted a victim impact statement, saying the bottom line is that it was a "stupid" crime. He said it has made him angry and caused him "undue stress" to keep his family together.

"I live my life on pins and needles in my own home," he said in his statement.

"My wife, mother-in-law and my children have been so distraught that it burns me to see them like this," he added.

Death has caused 'immense heartache,' cousin says

Lee's cousin, Angela Chopp, said she has also been "haunted" by Lee's death. He was more like a brother than a cousin, she said, and the two of them grew up together.

What happened to Lee has caused her "immense heartache, depression and fear," her statement said. It has had a "devastating effect on my whole family," she added.

Police have alleged that Lee, who was living in the city's shelter system, died after he was swarmed and stabbed by a group of girls in December 2022.

Eight girls, all of them between the ages of 13 and 16, were arrested in the hours that followed.

None of the girls can be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.