The family of a 15-year-old stabbed to death in Laval in 2020 are suing the parents of the teenager who killed him for more than $2.4 million, accusing them of not doing enough to prevent the tragedy.
“By the time the events occurred, enough behavioral cues from the attacker should have been challenged [parents] so that they take the appropriate means to avoid the catastrophe that has occurred,” supports the victim’s family in a lawsuit filed on March 30 in the Laval court.
The victim’s parents and three brothers, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban, are seeking, among other things, $2,450,000 for harm suffered, loss of love and pain.
This lawsuit was initiated because the perpetrator’s parents neglected their “parental authority” and “supervision” of their son, going so far as to “play down his behavior,” the document says.
Deadly rendezvous
The young attacker, who was 16 at the time of the crime, had arranged to meet the victim in a park in Laval on January 1, 2020 “to settle a conflict that had lasted ten days,” according to the prosecutor.
It is said that the attacker made sure to bring two steak knives with him.
“A fight ensued and eventually the deceased was stabbed by the attacker, resulting in his death,” it said.
Initially charged with first degree murder, he was eventually found guilty of manslaughter, assault and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
Last October he was sentenced to three years in prison, the maximum sentence that can be imposed on a minor.
trivialization
According to the lawsuit, the parents “play down the acts committed by the attacker.”
Her child had indeed sent “threatening” and “violent” text messages to the deceased, we learned during his criminal trial. Within days, he had invited the victim and his brother to fight 13 times.
“The perpetrator’s parents negligently failed to adequately supervise or keep a trained eye on the chat sites operated by the perpetrator prior to the commission of the crime,” the victim’s family wrote.
She further alleges that “throughout the court proceedings, the perpetrator’s parents minimized the perpetrator’s responsibility and withheld events that occurred with the perpetrator that were later proven to the court.”
According to prosecutors, the defendant’s mother, noting that he missed his friends, drove him to an acquaintance when this violated his release conditions.
The lawyer for the public prosecutor’s office did not answer questions from the paper on Saturday.
Highlight: In September 2022, the victim’s parents sent a formal notice to the defendant’s parents demanding $1 million. The attacker’s parents “responded by denying responsibility for the alleged damage.”
Do you have any information about this story that you would like to share with us?
Do you have a scoop that might be of interest to our readers?
Write to us or call us directly at 1-800-63SCOOP.