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Case of Yonge St. van attack suspect Alek Minassian heads straight to Superior Court
By Betsy PowellCourts Reporter
Thu., Nov. 1, 2018
The case of Toronto van attack suspect Alek Minassian will proceed directly to the Superior Court of Justice.
The 25-year-old faces 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder for allegedly driving a rented cargo van along a busy stretch of Yonge St., between Sheppard and Finch Aves., on April 23.
The mid-afternoon rampage killed 10 people and injured 16 others.
Eight of the victims were women, ranging from a 22-year-old student to a 94-year-old retiree.
Minassian was not in court in person or by video Thursday but was represented by his lawyer, Boris Bytensky, who told reporters the move to the higher court was not unexpected. “My client has anticipated this for quite sometime this is not a matter we were surprised by,” he said.
‘I was like, how did he get a van?’ Inside the life of Alek Minassian, the Toronto van rampage suspect no one thought capable of murder
Most victims in van rampage on Yonge St. were women, police say
The Minassian matter is scheduled to be dealt with in the downtown Toronto courthouse on Dec 4, though he is not expected to appear in person.
Bytensky estimated a resolution or trial — “if there is one” — could be 10 to 18 months away. He also declined to discuss the possibility of a plea, but if there is a trial he did not rule out asking for a change of venue due to the enormous amount of publicity about the case.
He declined to answer any questions about his client, but said Minassian still has the support of his family.
Since his arrest, Minassian has been cited as an example of a man accused of a high-profile who had used the internet to connect with other like-minded individuals.
Before the massacre, Minassian’s Facebook account posted a cryptic comment about an “incel rebellion.” The term incel, short for “involuntarily celibate,” is used online to refer to men who lack sex with women.
Minassian, who is from Richmond Hill, turns 26 on Saturday.
https://web.archive.org/web/2018110...ck-scheduled-to-appear-in-court-thursday.html
By Betsy PowellCourts Reporter
Thu., Nov. 1, 2018
The case of Toronto van attack suspect Alek Minassian will proceed directly to the Superior Court of Justice.
The 25-year-old faces 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder for allegedly driving a rented cargo van along a busy stretch of Yonge St., between Sheppard and Finch Aves., on April 23.
The mid-afternoon rampage killed 10 people and injured 16 others.
Eight of the victims were women, ranging from a 22-year-old student to a 94-year-old retiree.
Minassian was not in court in person or by video Thursday but was represented by his lawyer, Boris Bytensky, who told reporters the move to the higher court was not unexpected. “My client has anticipated this for quite sometime this is not a matter we were surprised by,” he said.
‘I was like, how did he get a van?’ Inside the life of Alek Minassian, the Toronto van rampage suspect no one thought capable of murder
Most victims in van rampage on Yonge St. were women, police say
The Minassian matter is scheduled to be dealt with in the downtown Toronto courthouse on Dec 4, though he is not expected to appear in person.
Bytensky estimated a resolution or trial — “if there is one” — could be 10 to 18 months away. He also declined to discuss the possibility of a plea, but if there is a trial he did not rule out asking for a change of venue due to the enormous amount of publicity about the case.
He declined to answer any questions about his client, but said Minassian still has the support of his family.
Since his arrest, Minassian has been cited as an example of a man accused of a high-profile who had used the internet to connect with other like-minded individuals.
Before the massacre, Minassian’s Facebook account posted a cryptic comment about an “incel rebellion.” The term incel, short for “involuntarily celibate,” is used online to refer to men who lack sex with women.
Minassian, who is from Richmond Hill, turns 26 on Saturday.
https://web.archive.org/web/2018110...ck-scheduled-to-appear-in-court-thursday.html
