This is a tragic case and the sort of situation where the existing system of punishment can work. The criminals here were not motivated by addiction or mental illness -- they should, if convicted, be punished both as an example to others and to ensure they do not kill again. It is cases like this that make the arguments for sentencing young people as adults make very good sense.
Crown outlines last moments of Creba's life
The first trial stemming from the 2005 Boxing Day gunfight that left teenaged shopper Jane Creba dead is underway, with the Crown outlining the final moments of her life.
Jane, 15, was out with her sister on Yonge Street north of Dundas Street. Jane left to cross the street and find a washroom at the Pizza Pizza restaurant.
"That was the last time Alison Creba saw her sister alive," Crown prosecutor Kerry Hughes told the court.
A a gun battle between two groups broke out on the street, which was crowded with holiday bargain shoppers. Jane got caught in the crossfire and died of her wounds in front of a Foot Locker store. Six other people were wounded.
Hughes told the court that police found a 9mm Ruger semi-automatic handgun in the pocket of the accused, known only as J.S.R., when they arrested him at a subway station 40 minutes after the shooting.
"It was not the gun that killed Jane Creba," Hughes said.
However, seven of eight shell casings and two of the four bullets recovered from the scene are linked to that firearm, she said.
The accused was 17 at the time of the shooting. As a result, his identity is protected under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
He is on trial for second-degree murder, six counts of attempted murder and five firearms-related offences. He has pleaded not guilty.
J.S.R. is the first of nine people to go to trial in the case. Seven of those awaiting trial are adults and one is a young offender.
Full story here:
http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/abc/home/contentposting.aspx?isfa=1&feedname=CTV-TOPSTORIES_V3&showbyline=True&newsitemid=CTVNews%2f20081016%2fcreba_trial_081016
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