Boxing Day Shooting Trial Has a Surprising End

On Boxing Day 2005, a 15 year old girl by the name of Jane Creba was window shopping, when her life came to a sudden end due to the recklessness of Louis Raphael Woodcock, age 23, and Tyshaun Barnett, age 22. The infamous murder took place when a young man exited a Foot Locker, carrying a .357 calibre Magnum revolver, and confronted a group of 10 men, a group that Louis and Tyshaun were a part of. The two defendants were in possession of a 9 milimetre handgun and .25 calibre semi automatic handgun when they were at the same Foot Locker. The young girl in question was shot dead by accident, but her life was taken nonetheless during a reckless shooting that could have been avoided, leading to a murder trial, where the two thugs were being charged with second degree murder. Today, the case has finally come to an end, and the verdict is that the two men are not guilty of second degree murder, but of manslaughter.

This is an extremely tragic story that this girl lost her life do to the carelessness of others, and even more so that these two men are not being punished to the full extent of the law. To clarify, first degree murder is a crime that is carried out in a manner that was planned, and commited with the exact intent of killing the victim. Second degree murder, which is what the defendents were charged with, is murder without the specific intention or preparation. The defendents were found guilty of manslaughter, which would mean that the defendents did not wish to murder the victim. I personally believe this is saying that the life they took couldn't have been avoided, and that the mistake they made is barely related to the death of this girl, and this couldn't be more wrong. I do think it is good that they are at least getting some form of punishment, and that this case can be put to rest so that the family can move on.

Police Caution Torontonians! Dog Killer on the Loose!

For Karen Lloyd and her dog, it was a normal day in the Allan Gardens park; fresh grass, a cold chill, and her dog, going to the toilet. Being responsible, she crouched down to pik up her dog's deposit, only to find at least 50 crushed pills scattered around the entire park. Today, police are investigating the death of a dog in it's own backyard, surronded by the same crushed pills. Going through the rest of the neighbourhood, several backyards had their own deposit of the crushed pills that Karen and the deceased dog has encountered. The kind of medication is currently unknown, but the meaning of the pills isn't; some believe the pills are not a definitive cause of death, but all are sure that there is a dog murderer on the loose. Police are guessing that the motive would be the barking and noise from the dogs in the Sixth Street/Lake Shore West Area, where the killer lives. This is actually not the first time someone has gone homicidal on man's best friend, as in High Park in 2008, two dogs died and many got very sick, after digesting intentionally planted bread that had been heavily soaked in antifreeze. Hopefully, before another victim is found, we can discover what kind of medication it was, and if it was prescription, track it to the killer.

As a dog owner, I was pretty horrified that anybody would want to kill a dog, and a little scared for my pets (irrationally, though, I don't live near the Newer Toronto Area). I definitely think that the perpertrator is totally insane to go and murder dogs for the sole purpose of their own silence. I would suggest people look after their dogs with caution for the next while, and maybe bring their dog on a leash to your frontl awn for the next few weeks. If you would like to read the article, here is one of many of the publications on the topic.

Fifteen Year Old's Murder Trial Begins

Two twenty year old men are just about to be tried for the horrible crime they commit as seventeen year old boys, the murder of fifteen year old Jordan Manners. The homicide occured in the middle of the hallway at C.W Jeffrey's Collegiate, where the two culprits got away without identification, after shooting the boy several times. Due to the age of the culprits at the time of the crime, they will remain anonymous, but within four days, one guilty man was found during an investigation, and the second turned himself in, shortly after his accomplice was caught. Toronto District School Board has now released an 1000 page report following this, which will be followed by taking serious action against all sorts of sexual harassment and violence that go unreported, which happens far too often in these schools. More resources and a phone hotline are ideas of things that should be provided for the predicted 250,000 kids who go to these schools in fear. His funeral recalled the boy as being a fun loving and honest young man, and his memory will now help to clean up the bad situations in these schools.

I definitlely think this is a horrific crime, and that these two culprits should be trialed as aduts, as a seventeen year old should most certainly know that murdering people in the middle of a school hallway isn't the best idea. I do think, though, that these environments are very hard on young men, who need stimulation through means of creative or active extracurricular activities, rather than find their fun in gang culture. The school board is not going about fixing this the right way, as troubled men are not likely to call a hotline, but to take a support disguised as a fun activity. I really think that the other problem is that these young men were able to get into school carrying two handguns, and that the security in these rougher areas should be stricter. But as you saw in my previous entry, random acts of violence and vandalism can occur at absolutely any school. Overall, I offer my sincere condolences to the young man whose life was taken away far too early.