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last mo.

Nova Scotia Judge Convicts 17-Year-Old of Manslaughter in Halifax Mall Stabbing

Sentencing is set for October following the Crown’s decision to drop murder charges over evidence gaps

Ahmad Al Marrach is shown in an undated family handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO
Crown attorney Terry Nickerson answers a reporter’s question while co-counsel Sarah Kirby looks on Tuesday after a Halifax youth court judge found a 17-year-old Dartmouth boy guilty of manslaughter for his involvement in a group assault that resulted in the fatal stabbing of Ahmad Maher Al Marrach in April 2024.
Crown attorney Sarah Kirby speaks with reporters while co-counsel Terry Nickerson looks on Tuesday after a Halifax youth court judge found a 17-year-old Dartmouth boy guilty of manslaughter for his involvement in a group assault that resulted in the fatal stabbing of 16-year-old Ahmad Maher Al Marrach in April 2024.
Ahmad Maher Al Marrach was stabbed in a parking garage near the Halifax Shopping Centre on April 22, 2024.

Overview

  • The youth court found the then-17-year-old liable for manslaughter after determining he organized a one-on-one fight that escalated into a deadly group assault.
  • Crown attorneys Terry Nickerson and Sarah Kirby have indicated they will seek an adult sentence for the defendant at the October hearing.
  • Sixteen-year-old Ahmad Al Marrach, a Syrian refugee and Citadel High School student, was stabbed in the Halifax Shopping Centre parking garage on April 22, 2024.
  • Prosecutors reduced the charge from second-degree murder to manslaughter in April because they concluded there was insufficient evidence for a more serious conviction.
  • The court will reconvene on October 20 to review pre-sentencing reports and determine the teen’s penalty.