Thread by @alysanmati

For those planning to watch the verdict on YouTube, it's absolutely not allowed to take photos/screenshots/recordings of the video. Media has been told not rebroadcast or even embed the livestream.

thestar.com/news/gta/2021/…

I will be tweeting (though not exhaustively because the live-stream is so easily available, in a real win for open courts and public information) and you can follow that on here or in the story below, which will be updated through the day: thestar.com/news/gta/2021/…

Here is the YouTube link again. There are already more than 800 people waiting. Starts at 10 am.

The stream is now live and Justice Molloy is the only person visible. She is wearing her official robes. She starts by explaining that she is deciding whether Minassian is criminally responsible. She will be reading three parts of her decision.

This case has in many ways been a struggle, she says. A horrific act, a terrible tragedy. She also notes Minassian has said he sought and enjoyed notoriety from his actions. She is acutely aware it is "exactly what this man sought from the start."

She said she would welcome a consensus from media on not publishing the name of someone seeking attention for inflicting carnage, but acknowledges the ethical considerations. It is her fervent wish in future that thought be given to withholding the name of the perpetrator.

And in so doing denying them the fame they seek. She will do what she can to not name him in her reasons and hopes that he will no longer be named. She will be referring to him as John Doe. But she will name the people he harmed, and the heroes of the day including Const. Ken Lam

Who arrested Minassian alive despite Minassian trying to be shot. And Det. Rob Thomas who interviewing Minassian. The first responders. The people who chased the van to stop it and shouted out warnings. People to tried to reach into the moving van to stop him.

She says April 23, 2018 was a particularly beautiful spring day. Torontonians were out on the streets enjoying the sunshine. That was also the day Minassian chose weeks in advance to kill as many as people as possible.

She is going through Minassian's actions on that day. He killed ten people and injured 16. He only stopped because a coffee spilled on his windshield, obscuring his view: thestar.com/news/gta/2020/…

He was arrested by Const. Lam and taken to 32 Division.

Molloy now names each of the people killed.

Ji Hun Kim and So He Chung, both 22; Anne Marie D’Amico, 30; Andrea Bradden, 33; Chul Min (Eddie) Kang, 45; Renuka Amarasingha, 45; Dorothy Sewell, 80; Geraldine (Gerry) Brady, 83; Munir Najjar, 85; and Betty Forsyth, 94.

She now names the 16 people injured by Minassian, listing their injuries including fractured bones, brain damage, internal bleeding.

Hyeon Jeong Moon; Morgan McDougall; Samantha Peart; Mavis Justino; Samantha Samson; Yunsheng Tian; Amir Kiumarsi; Jun Seok Park;

Amaresh Tesfamariam; So Ra; Beverly Smith; Robert Anderson; Aleksandra Kozhevinikova; Catherine Riddell; Xiaolong An; and Dina Risin.

She continues the chronology. Minassian was interviewed by Det. Rob Thomas. In that interview he said he set out to kill people, that he rented the van three weeks before, that he was inspired by the incel movement, paid tribute to mass murderers.

"I feel like I accomplished my mission," he said in that interview.

She said there was no real dispute on the facts, and notes there was extensive video of what happened. The issue is not if he did it, but his state of mind.

She explains that all the facts needed to prove the charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder were laid out in the agreed statement of facts. He rented a van and planned to kill as many people as possible, then carried out the plan. Clear planned and deliberate.

Sole issue to be decided is, on a balance of probabilities, is Minassian criminally responsible.

The trial hear from numerous experts and Minassian's father. She accepts that Minassian has autism spectrum disorder. He has no intellectual impairment, she noted.

To prove a not criminally responsible defence he would have to prove that he has a mental disorder that rendered him incapable of knowing what he did was morally wrong.

Notes that Minassian was not psychotic. Knew it would be murder and criminal offence.

She says the NCR defence first step is to determine if autism spectrum disorder qualifies as a mental disorder within the meaning of the test. Mental disorder is a legal term with a legal meaning in this context, she said.

She is satisfied autism spectrum disorder in general qualifies, and thus people with ASD could be eligible for this defence as many other people are. Stresses this says nothing about ASD and criminality.

It is clear Minassian knew his actions were legally wrong. But he would also have to know they were morally wrong. Question is did he lack capacity to rationally evaluate what he was doing.

He knew the vast majority of people would see his actions would find his actions as morally wrong. She finds the defence argument has failed. His attack was one of a "reasoning mind" notwithstanding no remorse for his victims.

This effectively means she has found Minassian criminally responsible, but she has not yet said the bottom line.

He preferred notoriety over obscurity and had fantasized about something like this for years. He felt like a failure and that he had no hope.

She goes through the words Minassian has used to describe what he did including "irredeemable." He had a functioning brain and knew it was wrong by society's standards. He freely chose to commit the crime anyway because it was what he really wanted to do.

He knew the consequences for himself and everyone else. It does not matter that he does not have remorse or that he may not have the capacity to empathize with them.

He is criminally responsible for his actions and finds him guilty on all counts.

BREAKING: Alek Minassian is guilty of ten counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder for the Yonge St. van attack.

Statement from the mayor:

Statement from the Ontario Autism Coalition:

The decision in full is here: ontariocourts.ca/scj/minassian-…

Crown prosecutor Joe Callagan is reading a statement, he starts reading the names of those murdered. Behind him are a group of people harmed. Some wear purple for violence again women

He thanks the police and first responders and the bystanders who rose to moment, reflecting the true community spirit of Toronto,

Also notes work of tech crimes. Thanks judge for fairness and for trying the case over Zoom. Crown is pleased with the thoughtful verdict. “Fair and just result.”

Commends resilience of the victims.
“You showed us how love and humanity can prevail.”

Also recognizes the defence lawyers for a providing a strong and dedicated defence, and the hard work of victim-witness support workers.

Cathy Riddell said she is relieved. “I probably will sleep tonight.” He deserves to spend the rest of his life in jail. Not closure, not happy but feels like justice has been done.

He feels justice has been served. They feel supported. “Like holding your breath for three years” and finally exhaling. Always going to miss Anne Marie.

Says it’s important that the judge didn’t name him. Wants the change the culture. He doesn’t use the name of the perpetrator. Need to protect victims in the future.

Says it’s important to keep addressing violence against women, notes the rise in domestic violence during the pandemic.

Statement from Autism Canada here:

The full decision has a long section in which Justice Molloy address the confusing and sometimes contradictory reasons Minassian gave for why he carried out the mass murder as he did. She notes it's very hard to determine from his manner when he is lying and when he's not

“Bottom line: he did it to become famous,” she wrote, but notes multiple factors at play including resentment of women (though not the driving force). She said he didn’t show the venom typical of incel followers in his interviews with doctors.

Another key thing from this decison is her finding the Yale-based psychiatrist whose testimony was the basis of the defence was unreliable as a witness and “referred only to information that supported his conclusions, ignoring anything else to the contrary.”

She notes he left out critical pieces of information from his report that contradicted his opinions — and we only know that bc she ordered his notes and the recording of his interviews to be produced. Found he “spoke in extremes, without nuance.”

(The Crown clearly did a great job on challenging the report and pointing out where he made unfounded assumptions and where he could not reconcile Minassian’s own statements with his conclusions)

@powellbetsy adds some context to the unprecedented decision by Justice Molloy not to name the Yonge St. van attacker in her reasons. thestar.com/news/gta/2021/…

Important perspective here from @nadineyousif_ thestar.com/amp/news/gta/2…

My updated story on the decision here: thestar.com/news/gta/2021/…