Alek Minassian, convicted in deadly 2018 Toronto van attack, drops appeal
Ontario's top court says Alek Minassian has abandoned the appeal of his convictions on 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 of attempted murder.
Alek Minassian, convicted in the 2018 deadly Toronto van attack, has abandoned his appeal of his convictions, according to Ontario's top court. Minassian was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years, along with additional sentences for 10 counts of first-degree murder, 16 counts of attempted murder, and 15 counts of attempted murder.
The victims were eight women and two men who died when Minassian deliberately drove his rented van down a crowded sidewalk in Toronto, seeking infamy. He admitted to planning and executing the attack but argued that his autism spectrum disorder should prevent him from being found criminally responsible. However, the presiding judge rejected this defence, noting that Minassian never developed empathy due to his autism and was unable to make rational decisions.
Minassian was found guilty of killing ten individuals, including Ji Hun Kim, So He Chung, Anne Marie D’Amico, Andrea Bradden, Chul Min "Eddie" Kang, Renuka Amarasingha, Dorothy Sewell, Geraldine Brady, Munir Najjar, and Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Forsyth. The attack killed another victim, Amaresh Tesfamariam, in 2021.
Written by urgent.news from Global News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
