Friend of fatally stabbed Halifax teen changes his testimony in youth court

The trial for a Halifax youth accused of participating in the killing of a 16-year-old student last year heard Monday from one of the victim’s friends.

The trial for a Halifax youth accused of participating in the killing of a 16-year-old student last year heard Monday from one of the victim’s friends, but much of his testimony was debunked by a defence lawyer.

The 17-year-old accused, who can’t be identified, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the killing of Ahmad Maher Al Marrach, who was stabbed outside the Halifax Shopping Centre on April 22.

The 15-year-old witness told the judge-only trial that Al Marrach had asked him via text message to gather some friends and head to the mall to watch him fight another boy.

“We told him not to fight,” the witness, a Grade 10 student, told youth court Judge Elizabeth Buckle. “He said, ‘No, I have to do this.'”

The Crown and defence agree that the accused did not stab Al Marrach, but the Crown has said the evidence will show the accused planned a group assault, which he knew could lead to Al Marrach’s death.

In court on Monday, the witness said that as he entered the mall’s parkade, the fight had already started. He said he saw the accused holding a knife even though he wasn’t directly involved in the fracas, and he said he saw a second boy standing nearby holding two knives.

The 15-year-old witness, who was unarmed, said the two boys were preventing Al Marrach’s friends from interfering with the fight. And he said that at one point, the accused pointed his knife at him and said, “Get close an see what happens.”

As for the boy with two knives, the witness recalled him saying: “Do you want to get killed?” And the witness went on to say both armed boys ran toward him with their weapons drawn.