Sentencing hearing adjourned for teen murderer

Warning: Readers may find details in this article disturbing.

The adjourned sentencing hearing was set to begin for the third of three young men who have pleaded guilty to their involvement in the murder of a 17-year-old Barrie boy outside his home in late 2021.

The now-20-year-old man who pleaded guilty in December to first-degree murder admitted to luring the boy out of his home on the night of November 19, 2021.

Meanwhile, another young man emerged and fired 16 shots, hitting the teen eight times in the head and neck, killing him instantly.

The court heard that he showed up at the boy’s home that night, telling him he was thirsty and needed a drink. The court removed the boy from his home, anticipating what would happen.

The shooter, who is now 20, will also be sentenced as a youth after the Crown unsuccessfully sought earlier this year to have him serve an adult sentence for the teen’s murder.

Another man who confessed to being the driver on that night pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of being an accessory after the fact of murder. He was sentenced to an additional 13 months imprisonment last summer.

During the shooter’s guilty plea proceedings, the court heard the boy was killed because of a rivalry with him when a fight broke out at a house party months earlier; the fight escalated into a war of words online, including threats of violence and death. That’s when the young man says he bought a gun and made plans to settle the score and kill the teen.

The maximum youth sentence for murder is ten years, including four years in the community.

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The teen’s father called his son’s murder a “planned, coordinated execution,” referring to the now 20-year-old as Judas for having betrayed his son, leading him to slaughter.

The hearing is adjourned to two dates in May and June.