Man pleads guilty to stabbing 16-year-old to death at TTC subway station

Jordan O'Brien-Tobin, the man who stabbed a 16-year-old to death at a TTC subway station in 2023, has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

The victim, Gabriel Magalhaes, was on his way home with a friend on March 25 of that year when he was attacked at Keele Station in the city's west end. The stabbing was unprovoked, according to an agreed statement of facts — though text messages from the killer's phone suggest he was planning to kill someone that night.

O'Brien-Tobin, a 22-year-old from Newfoundland with a lengthy criminal history, was originally charged with first-degree murder in the case, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge Wednesday.

According to the agreed statement of facts, Magalhaes and his friend were sitting on a bench on the ground floor of the subway station around 8:53 p.m. when O'Brien-Tobin walked down a nearby set of stairs.

Security camera footage showed the accused turning and staring at the pair, while they sat unaware of him, according to court documents. O'Brien-Tobin then briefly exited the station, but continued to watch the victim and his friend through a set of automatic doors.

He then reached into his backpack, according to the agreed statement of facts, before coming back inside the station and heading right for Magalhaes.

Teen's lung, heart punctured

"Unprovoked and with no exchange of words, the accused stabbed Gabriel in the chest with the knife," the statement reads. "He then walked away, exiting the subway station."

Magalhaes, meanwhile, collapsed on the floor. His friend and two bystanders attempted first aid until emergency crews arrived, the court documents say. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:46 p.m. — less than an hour after O'Brien-Tobin originally spotted him.

An autopsy later revealed the knife punctured Magalhaes's left lung and heart.

Less than an hour after the stabbing, O'Brien-Tobin, who was unhoused at the time, went to a church on Roncesvalles Avenue in the city's west end where he spoke with a priest and a member of the parish, according to the agreed statement of facts.

He was "acting strange" and told them he "felt like killing someone," the documents read. Members of the church "became concerned" and "escorted him out."

O'Brien-Tobin then went to the emergency room at St. Joseph's Hospital about 20 minutes later, according to the statement of facts, where police found and arrested him. 

Killer admitted to stabbing in text messages

His backpack was seized and forensic examination revealed Magalhaes's blood inside one of the inner compartments. The knife was never found.

Police also examined the killer's cellphone, court heard, which revealed chilling messages he had sent to his girlfriends, friends and mother both before and after the murder.

They included "someones dying TN," as well as "I just stabbed someone random" and "I stabbed someone and got away with it."

Last year, two of Magalhaes's former classmates set up a small memorial for their friend outside the station, hoping to help others remember him.

Francesa Zalik said at the time that Magalhaes was the kindest member of their friend group.

"He was so funny. Such a funny, sweet guy," Zalik said.

In the wake of his death, the victim's mother, Andrea Magalhaes, advocated for increased resources for people in crisis, at a time when attacks on the TTC were drawing alarm.

LISTEN | Mother of teen boy fatally stabbed at TTC station speaks out: 

As It Happens7:02Mother of Toronto subway stabbing victim speaks following 16-year-old's death

The mother of a 16-year-old boy who is the victim of a random attack on a Toronto subway is speaking out. Gabriel Magalhaes was sitting on a bench in the lower level of Keele Station shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday when a 22-year-old man — a stranger — approached him and fatally stabbed him. Speaking to As It Happens host Nil Köksal, Magalhaes's mother, Andrea, said there are "no words" to express her pain, and says more needs to be done to help people in crisis.

"We need more social services. We need more investment into physical and mental health. We need more supports for housing," she said. "I feel like, as things go the way they are going right now, so many people are going to be suffering the horrible pain that I am going through right now."

Second-degree murder comes with an automatic life sentence in Canada — now it is up to the trial's judge to decide on the timeframe before O'Brien-Tobin can apply for parole.

The Crown is asking for 16 to 18 years, while the defence is seeking 10 to 14 years.

A sentencing hearing is set for February 2025.