A man who pleaded guilty to the incel-inspired murder of a Toronto massage parlour employee sought out the ideology that led him to commit a 害羞草研究所渉orrific crime,害羞草研究所� an Ontario judge said Tuesday in sentencing him to life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years.
Though the man was 17 when he carried out the brutal attack with a sword in February 2020, sentencing him as a youth 害羞草研究所� which would cap the sentence at 10 years behind bars 害羞草研究所� would be 害羞草研究所渋nsufficient害羞草研究所� to hold him accountable, Justice Sukhail Akhtar told the court.
The stabbing that killed 24-year-old Ashley Noelle Arzaga and seriously injured a woman identified only by the initials J.C. was motivated by a violent and misogynistic ideology, the judge said.
The man 害羞草研究所渃ommitted the crime after extensively researching the incel culture,害羞草研究所� Akhtar said.
害羞草研究所淚 do not accept his 害羞草研究所� attempt at avoiding responsibility by claiming that he was brainwashed by that culture. He sought it out, he accepted it and he acted upon it,害羞草研究所� the judge said.
The killing of Arzaga 害羞草研究所渞eflects the evils of that ideology,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所�(The man) did not just murder Ms. Arzaga 害羞草研究所� he butchered her 害羞草研究所� with a 17-inch sword even as Ms. Arzaga lay on the floor defenceless and dying.害羞草研究所�
The attack on J.C., also with the same weapon, 害羞草研究所渨as accompanied by language denoting hatred for women,害羞草研究所� the judge said. 害羞草研究所淗e intended to carve out a niche of infamy with messages designed to make clear that his acts were in the name of incel ideology.害羞草研究所�
The man, now 21, has also been sentenced to three years behind bars for the attempted murder of J.C., to be served concurrently.
His identity was protected under a publication ban because he was underage at the time of the attack. Now that he has been sentenced as an adult, he can be identified, but Akhtar told the court to wait until the 30-day period to file an appeal has passed. Defence lawyers said they had not yet received any instructions on a possible appeal.
The man pleaded guilty last year to first-degree murder and attempted murder. Akhtar later ruled the attack to be an act of terrorism due to its links to so-called 害羞草研究所渋ncel害羞草研究所� ideology, which stands for 害羞草研究所渋nvoluntary celibate,害羞草研究所� a fringe internet subculture dominated by men who blame women for their lack of sexual relations.
It害羞草研究所檚 believed to be the first time in Canada that a court has made a finding of incel-motivated terrorist activity, which defence lawyers said could affect how terrorism is treated by the courts and viewed by society.
So far, typical terrorism cases have involved people who are part of an organization such as ISIS, defence lawyer Maurice Mattis said outside the courthouse after the sentencing. This case, however, has no organization but rather participation in an online community that is 害羞草研究所渟ort of co-ordinated by persons who promote hate against women,害羞草研究所� he said.
害羞草研究所淏eyond Canada, I think it害羞草研究所檚 a case that the world is going to have an interest in because it害羞草研究所檚 taken terrorism to chat room participation leading to the commission of a crime. And I think that will have a (resounding) impact all over the world in terms of how youth are going to be treated or influenced this way,害羞草研究所� Mattis said.
Prosecutors wanted the man to be sentenced as an adult, noting he was six months shy of turning 18 at the time and meticulously researched, planned and made choices surrounding the attack that reflected adult thoughts and actions. They also argued he has shown no remorse.
Adults found guilty of first-degree murder face an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years, but the parole ineligibility is lower for youth sentenced as adults. In this case, the 10-year parole ineligibility period begins on the day of the man害羞草研究所檚 arrest, meaning he has roughly six years more to serve before he can apply for parole.
The defence, meanwhile, sought to have the man sentenced under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, which sets a limit of 10 years.
Defence lawyers had proposed an intense rehabilitation program, which court heard the man rejected out of fear he would be targeted by other inmates if detained in a provincial institution rather than a federal one, where he could have a cell to himself.
The judge said the man害羞草研究所檚 refusal to engage in this type of program shows he 害羞草研究所渇ails to understand the need for rehabilitation and remains fixated on thinking of himself害羞草研究所� rather than thinking of what he needs to do to safely reintegrate into society.
Akhtar did point to some mitigating factors, including the man害羞草研究所檚 upbringing, his sense of isolation and his mental health challenges, as well as the fact that he pleaded guilty.
At a hearing last month, the man apologized to Arzaga害羞草研究所檚 family and friends, and to the surviving victim. He also said he has changed and no longer hates women.
害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檝e come to realize that life is so much more than just internet negativity 害羞草研究所� I wish I could travel back in time and talk some sense into my former self,害羞草研究所� he said.
Court heard he planned to seek out women to violently attack with a sword after he was radicalized with misogynistic views online. He obtained the sword months before the attack and had it inscribed with a derogatory word for women and 害羞草研究所渟layer,害羞草研究所� court heard.
On the day of the stabbing, he wore a long, dark coat and hat, and carried a note that said 害羞草研究所渓ong live the incel rebellion害羞草研究所� inside a zip-close bag, court heard.
Arzaga, who was working at reception, greeted him as a customer, court heard. The man stabbed her in the neck without warning and continued to stab her after she害羞草研究所檇 fallen to the ground.
J.C. rushed to the reception area after hearing a sound and was also stabbed, court heard. The man told her he was going to kill her and called her derogatory terms, it heard. She eventually managed to take the sword from him and incapacitate him, which court heard brought the attack to an end. She suffered stab wounds, lacerations to both hands and nerve damage as she fought.
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