Teen girl pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of Toronto homeless man

A fourth teen accused in the fatal stabbing of a Toronto homeless man has pleaded guilty.

The girl, who was 14 at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of 59-year-old Kenneth Lee.

Police have alleged that Lee, who was living in the city's shelter system, died after he was swarmed and stabbed by a group of girls in December 2022.

Eight girls, all of them between the ages of 13 and 16, were arrested in the hours that followed.

The girls were charged with second-degree murder and a judge recently committed six of them to stand trial on that charge, with the other two to be tried on the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Three girls have previously pleaded guilty in the case – two to manslaughter and one to assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon.

Another girl was expected to plead guilty but decided last week to be tried in Superior Court instead. Court had not heard what charge she was initially expected to plead guilty to.

All the girls who have pleaded guilty are due to appear in court over the next few months for sentencing submissions.

A hearing is scheduled next week for those heading to trial.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2024.