Teen recruited by tow truck industry pleads guilty to murder in Toronto shooting
A 16-year-old recruited and paid by adults in the tow truck industry pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and 13 firearm charges in an Ontario court.
Teen hired by tow truck industry admits to first-degree murder, 13 firearm offences
A 16-year-old recruited and paid by adults connected to Ontario's tow truck industry has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, Global News Crime reports. The teen, whose identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), admitted in a downtown Toronto courtroom that he was hired to kill 28-year-old Sulakshan Selvasingam, a tow truck operator from Pickering, on July 6, 2024.
The youth also pleaded guilty to 13 counts of reckless discharge of a firearm. Those shootings took place over a six-week period beginning in May 2024, at locations including cinemas, a cannabis dispensary, an elementary school, a Sri Lankan restaurant, body shops and tow truck lots.
Murder for hire tied to tow truck violence
Assistant Crown attorney Sharna Reid read an agreed statement of facts into the record. Selvasingam had previously been a victim of tow truck-related violence, Reid noted. "His murder was connected to the well-known violence in the tow truck industry," she told the court.
Reid said "influential adults connected to the tow truck industry recruited the teen to commit the offence." Those adults, court heard, had access to firearms and were prepared to engage in retaliatory violence within the towing sector. They offered the teenager a sum of money to carry out the killing.
The teen "believed that they would not hesitate to harm those perceived enemies, including those who had previously aligned with them," Reid added.
Night of the shooting
On July 5, 2024, the 16-year-old and two 15-year-olds spent several hours driving through the Kennedy Commons Plaza area in a stolen black Acura bearing stolen licence plates, looking for Selvasingam. While doing so, the 16-year-old received instructions from an adult on how to carry out the killing and was directed to record the murder.
The following evening, the three drove through the same area in two stolen vehicles. The 16-year-old and one of the 15-year-olds took a stolen white Honda Civic to a Shell gas station on Warden Avenue near Ellesmere Avenue, arriving at approximately 9:55 p.m.
Selvasingam had attended a car meet at Kennedy Commons that evening with a friend. The two left their vehicle to get food. Shortly afterward, while travelling westbound on Highway 401, Selvasingam told his friend he needed to make a stop and exited at Warden Avenue, saying he needed to meet someone.
At approximately 10:16 p.m., Selvasingam pulled into a spot at the Shell station, his Mercedes parked driver's-side to driver's-side beside the Honda Civic. "As he parked beside the white Honda Civic, the 16-year-old shot Mr. Selvasingam nine times, including in the head," Reid explained. Selvasingam was rushed to hospital and pronounced dead. A passenger in his Mercedes crouched into the footwell and was not physically injured.
Aftermath and arrest
Immediately after the shooting, the 16-year-old drove to Anderson Boulevard in Uxbridge, Ontario. One of the 15-year-olds called the other to confirm the shooting had occurred. The three then met in Uxbridge, removed the licence plates from the Honda Civic, discarded them in a sewer drain and set the car alight using an accelerant. They fled the scene in a second stolen vehicle, a black Honda.
Nine days later, on July 15, 2024, Ontario Provincial Police travelling on Highway 401 were alerted by an automated licence plate reader that a stolen black Dodge Charger was ahead of them. The 16-year-old was at the wheel, with one of the 15-year-olds in the passenger seat. The Dodge exited at Keele Street and attempted a U-turn. When police tried to box in the vehicle at a red light at Wilson Avenue, the teen attempted to flee. The stolen car, still moving, rolled and struck a bus shelter.
A Glock 23 handgun fell from a satchel the 16-year-old was carrying. The weapon contained two rounds, neither chambered; eight additional rounds were found in the glove box. Ballistic evidence confirmed the Glock was the firearm used to kill Selvasingam.
Co-accused also plead guilty
The two 15-year-olds appeared in court the previous Wednesday and pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to reckless discharge of a firearm, relating to helping the 16-year-old conceal his identity and evade prosecution. One pleaded guilty to eight additional counts of reckless discharge; the other to ten counts, all connected to the broader series of shootings that, according to the agreed facts, were also orchestrated by the same adults who recruited the 16-year-old for the murder.
Sentencing process under way
The 16-year-old's lawyers, Sherif Foda and Rick Frank, told Justice Maureen Forestell they are seeking a sentence under the Federal Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision (IRCS) program — a therapeutic sentencing option under the YCJA for youth convicted of the most serious offences who are assessed as suffering from mental illness, psychological disorder or emotional disturbance. Under the YCJA, the maximum sentence for first-degree murder is 10 years, with no more than six years to be served in custody.
Outside court, Selvasingam's father, who declined to give his first name citing fear of retribution, spoke about the loss of his son. "Somebody paid the money for them to kill my son," he said, struggling to hold back tears.
Source: Global News Crime