Barrie judge revisits sentencing for teen convicted of murdering boy, 15, in group home

Warning: Some readers may find the details of this article upsetting.

A sentencing review hearing took place Tuesday in a Barrie courtroom for a young man sentenced to 10 years for the brutal murder of a 15-year-old boy in a group home in 2019.

It's been one year since the now-19-year-old pleaded guilty to murder inside a Barrie foster home and was handed a maximum sentence.

While the name of the 19-year-old and the victim's identity are protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the court heard of the horrifying events inside the south Barrie group home on the morning of Feb. 19, 2019, during last year's sentencing hearing.

The Crown called the attack premeditated with a level of violence so severe the young teen was stabbed 20 times, severing his lung, neck and liver. The court heard the then-14-year-old used so much force he broke the handles of the knives he used during the murder.

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Surveillance video captured the moments police took the teen into custody, not far from where the attack occurred.

A 14-year-old boy's arrest is captured on home surveillance video in April 2019. (Courtesy: Sarah Miller)

The teen had been living in the group home, along with the victim, after his parents could no longer care for him.

The court heard victim impact statements from those who lived in the home and witnessed the murder, saying they had vivid nightmares.

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Tuesday's hearing was part of an annual review process available to convicted persons under the Youth Act. The 19-year-old did not retain council for the proceedings.

The victim's loved ones did not appear in court for the review hearing. They have since launched civil litigation against several parties, including the for-profit group home where the boy was murdered.

The sentencing review hearing before Justice Michelle Fuerst has been adjourned to late September.