HALIFAX — The Crown is no longer pursuing a second-degree murder charge against a teen who is alleged to have organized the fight last year that ended in the stabbing death of Halifax high school student Ahmad Al Marrach.
Instead, prosecutor Sharon Goodwin told provincial youth court Wednesday the Crown is seeking a conviction on the lesser charge of manslaughter for the 17-year-old boy, whose identity is protected by a publication ban. Manslaughter is a homicide but unlike second-degree murder there is a lack of intent.
The Crown and defence agree that the teenager on trial did not stab the 16-year-old Al Marrach, but at the start of the trial prosecutors said evidence would show he planned a group assault that he knew could lead to Al Marrach’s death. Wednesday, Goodwin said a charge of second-degree murder could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
In her closing arguments, Goodwin told Judge Elizabeth Buckle that on April 22, 2024, the day of the deadly brawl, the accused and Al Marrach had agreed to a one-on-one fight that would not involve weapons, as the boys were feuding over a girl.
Then, Goodwin said, the teen messaged two friends and asked them to come with him and join the fight with Al Marrach, saying among other things, "We ain't holding back." The brawl between Al Marrach and the teenager lasted just three seconds before his two friends joined in, Goodwin said.
The accused "unilaterally transformed the agreed-upon fight into a three-on-one ambush without the consent of Al Marrach," Goodwin said. She said the accused had a knife on him when he ambushed Al Marrach and he was aware that his friend was also carrying a knife.
Earlier Wednesday, defence lawyer Anna Mancini argued that the Crown had not established beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused knew his friend was carrying a knife.
Mancini said shocked texts her client sent a friend immediately after the fight show he did not have any foresight that a stabbing would occur. "He's writing that he had no idea that this was going to happen. He texts, 'Why why' and ... 'OMG.' These are not texts reflecting someone who felt that this outcome was at all probable," she said.
Mancini added that the accused's circumstances meant that it was common to carry a knife for protection.
The lawyer also argued that Al Marrach had consented to the fight and was aware of the potential that multiple people would be involved.
Judge Buckle is scheduled to rule on June 27.
Earlier this month, a Nova Scotia judge sentenced a teenage girl to three months in a youth detention centre and 24 months under community supervision for her role in the stabbing death.
The girl, who was 14 at the time of the killing, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in October, having admitted she was one of four teens who attacked Al Marrach.
The girl and three teenage boys were originally charged with second-degree murder. Their identities are also protected from publication.
One of the boys, who was 14 at the time, pleaded guilty in January to second-degree murder, admitting that he was the one who stabbed the Grade 10 student with a stolen kitchen knife. Another boy, who was 17 at the time, pleaded guilty in October to manslaughter. Both are awaiting sentencing.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 16, 2025.
Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press
