Third Teen Pleads Guilty in Swarming Death of Toronto Man

Toronto man Ken Lee was stabbed to death in December 2022. Eight teenage girls face charges in the attack. The Canadian Press/HO-Toronto Police Service

Another teen charged in the death of a Toronto man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Police say that three 13-year-olds, three 14-year-olds, and two 16-year-olds, all girls, were involved in the attack on Kenneth Lee, 59, in December 2022.

Mr. Lee was living in a shelter at the time and died in hospital after being swarmed and stabbed by the teens.

The third girl to enter a guilty plea was 13 years old at the time. Two other girls pleaded guilty, one to manslaughter and the other to assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon.

Eight girls between the ages of 13 and 16 were charged with second-degree murder in Mr. Lee’s death. However, a judge recently decided that two of the girls will face manslaughter charges.

A fourth girl was expected to plead guilty on June 17 as well, but her lawyer asked for more time to allow her to consider if she wanted to plead or go to trial. It is not clear what charge she was facing.

The names of the accused minors cannot be published under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA).

Five of the girls were granted bail with various conditions including not leaving home except to attend school and limited use of the internet.

Mr. Lee was described as a kind, quiet man who was trying to defend a friend before he was  attacked.

Mr. Lee’s sister, Helen Shum, said in a statement that he had been “experiencing some bad luck” and was trying to get his life back on track.

“We ensured that he knew we were always here for him and were waiting for him to return home. He wanted to resolve his issues independently, and we understood and respected his wishes,” she said.

Ms. Shum said  her brother would help anyone, whether a close friend or an acquaintance.

Mr. Lee’s brother-in-law Eric Shum has asked Ontario Premier Doug Ford to release the teens’ names.

“Why do we need to protect their privacy?” Mr. Shum wrote in a letter to Mr. Ford. “Society needs to know who these perpetrators are; especially if they are attending school. As a parent, I would want to know if a perpetrator was in my child’s school or my child’s class.”

He also questioned why the teens were given bail on such a serious charge.

“The optics of allowing bail continue to demonstrate a weak YCJA system sending a message to young offenders that they can do anything and not be held accountable,” Mr. Shum said.

The Canadian Press contributed to this article.