TORONTO - He may not have fired the shot that killed 15-year-old Jane Creba, but by participating in a reckless shootout that sent a hail of gunfire through a street teeming with Boxing Day shoppers, the first man to stand trial in the case must bear responsibility for her death, a jury found Sunday.
Creba's 2005 death sent waves of outrage rippling through Toronto and beyond with dismay over the random shooting of the bright young girl on downtown Toronto's busiest street in the waning hours of the busiest shopping day of the year.
The now 20-year-old man, who can only be identified as J.S.R. because he was under 18 at the time, remained stoic after the jury found him guilty of second-degree murder, two of six counts of aggravated assault and five weapons charges.
The Crown exchanged hugs and huge smiles, while the defence was incredulous. Lawyer Mara Greene's tear-stained face spoke volumes about their utter shock.
Outside court, lawyer Gary Grill said "in our combined experiences as defence lawyers, Ms. Greene and I, we've never, ever, ever had a stronger defence case."
They will "obviously" be appealing, he said.
"We maintain our client's innocence and we will not stop fighting as far as we can go in order to make sure that everyone knows that he indeed is innocent."
The defence called no evidence, but in his closing remarks Grill said the Crown's allegations defied common sense.
The Crown alleged the group of men J.S.R. was with that day escalated a confrontation with another man, Jeremiah Valentine, by pulling guns out, which prompted Valentine to allegedly fire the first shot.
One of the shots that came from Valentine's gun is the one that killed Creba, piercing her back and exiting her body at the base of her throat, the Crown said.
In her closing arguments, Crown attorney Kerry Hughes likened it to street racing, and the courts have said if one driver involved in a street race kills a bystander, both drivers are guilty.
Three guns were fired that day: Valentine's .357, a .25-calibre pistol and a 9-mm Ruger.
Though J.S.R. was arrested carrying the 9-mm gun, the defence argued that another man, Louis Woodcock, was the one who fired shots with that gun, then handed it off to a naive and underage J.S.R.
The Crown alleged J.S.R. took Woodcock's gun and began shooting after Valentine fired the first shot.
The fact that Woodcock brought the gun downtown that day and had it when the shooting began was in the agreed statement of facts and apparently gave the jury trouble, as they went back to the judge with a question about it.
Valentine, Woodcock, five other adults and one youth are charged with either second-degree murder or manslaughter in the case and are expected to stand trial next year.
As the jury's deliberations dragged into a fourth day, many began to wonder if the jury of 11 people (one was excused for personal reasons) would in fact be able to reach a unanimous verdict.
"Of course as time went on we all started thinking, as everybody else here did, as to which way it was going to go," lead investigator Det.-Sgt. Savas Kyriacou said
"(But) I knew what the right thing was and I knew that ultimately they would come up with the right decision."
The defence, however, was stunned.
"I can't explain this jury's verdict," Grill said. "Most of the observers can't explain this jury's verdict. It really is confounding for us."
In his closing arguments last week Grill urged the jury not to let anger over Creba's senseless death cloud their judgment, but outside court Sunday he suggested that's exactly what happened.
"That's obviously what goes through our heads right now, but I don't know and we'll never know what this jury was thinking," Grill said.
Kyriacou said he knew the jury would make the right decision.
He said he spoke with the Crebas and they are also satisfied with the verdict.
When Kyriacou heard the word guilty in the courtroom he said many things went through his head, but primarily the young girl who was shot while shopping with her sister then lay dying on the cold street that day.
"We've been thinking about Jane since Dec. 26, 2005," he said.
"We always think about Jane and I'm sure anyone that's a parent or has siblings or loved ones would also think about her."
A date for sentencing will be set on Thursday.
Creba's 2005 death sent waves of outrage rippling through Toronto and beyond with dismay over the random shooting of the bright young girl on downtown Toronto's busiest street in the waning hours of the busiest shopping day of the year.
The now 20-year-old man, who can only be identified as J.S.R. because he was under 18 at the time, remained stoic after the jury found him guilty of second-degree murder, two of six counts of aggravated assault and five weapons charges.
The Crown exchanged hugs and huge smiles, while the defence was incredulous. Lawyer Mara Greene's tear-stained face spoke volumes about their utter shock.
Outside court, lawyer Gary Grill said "in our combined experiences as defence lawyers, Ms. Greene and I, we've never, ever, ever had a stronger defence case."
They will "obviously" be appealing, he said.
"We maintain our client's innocence and we will not stop fighting as far as we can go in order to make sure that everyone knows that he indeed is innocent."
The defence called no evidence, but in his closing remarks Grill said the Crown's allegations defied common sense.
The Crown alleged the group of men J.S.R. was with that day escalated a confrontation with another man, Jeremiah Valentine, by pulling guns out, which prompted Valentine to allegedly fire the first shot.
One of the shots that came from Valentine's gun is the one that killed Creba, piercing her back and exiting her body at the base of her throat, the Crown said.
In her closing arguments, Crown attorney Kerry Hughes likened it to street racing, and the courts have said if one driver involved in a street race kills a bystander, both drivers are guilty.
Three guns were fired that day: Valentine's .357, a .25-calibre pistol and a 9-mm Ruger.
Though J.S.R. was arrested carrying the 9-mm gun, the defence argued that another man, Louis Woodcock, was the one who fired shots with that gun, then handed it off to a naive and underage J.S.R.
The Crown alleged J.S.R. took Woodcock's gun and began shooting after Valentine fired the first shot.
The fact that Woodcock brought the gun downtown that day and had it when the shooting began was in the agreed statement of facts and apparently gave the jury trouble, as they went back to the judge with a question about it.
Valentine, Woodcock, five other adults and one youth are charged with either second-degree murder or manslaughter in the case and are expected to stand trial next year.
As the jury's deliberations dragged into a fourth day, many began to wonder if the jury of 11 people (one was excused for personal reasons) would in fact be able to reach a unanimous verdict.
"Of course as time went on we all started thinking, as everybody else here did, as to which way it was going to go," lead investigator Det.-Sgt. Savas Kyriacou said
"(But) I knew what the right thing was and I knew that ultimately they would come up with the right decision."
The defence, however, was stunned.
"I can't explain this jury's verdict," Grill said. "Most of the observers can't explain this jury's verdict. It really is confounding for us."
In his closing arguments last week Grill urged the jury not to let anger over Creba's senseless death cloud their judgment, but outside court Sunday he suggested that's exactly what happened.
"That's obviously what goes through our heads right now, but I don't know and we'll never know what this jury was thinking," Grill said.
Kyriacou said he knew the jury would make the right decision.
He said he spoke with the Crebas and they are also satisfied with the verdict.
When Kyriacou heard the word guilty in the courtroom he said many things went through his head, but primarily the young girl who was shot while shopping with her sister then lay dying on the cold street that day.
"We've been thinking about Jane since Dec. 26, 2005," he said.
"We always think about Jane and I'm sure anyone that's a parent or has siblings or loved ones would also think about her."
A date for sentencing will be set on Thursday.
Crime Is Commerce !
15 year old Jane Creba , a grade 10 student , was gunned down in a hail of bullets nearly two years ago. Six others were injured.
Nine young men were charged in the murder, all have gang ties.
Jane was a good student and a sports star in her high school . Mr. and Mrs. Creba have been brave and patient during this whole ordeal. Jane was their only child .
Crime is associated with evil ! I think that's so , but I also think crime is commerce . Here in Toronto and the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) shootings have become commonplace . On Boxing Day , Dec. 26th. , we have large sales and people line up outside stores all day for some of the bargains, much like the U.S's "Black Friday" . On a Boxing Day in late 2005, something tragic happened in Toronto. A little girl was shot to death lining up to buy some clothes for school . Many others were also injured . The killers or killer have not been charged . What was the reason for this senseless act ...Drugs , Money , Power ! These acts don't only happen in Toronto , I know this is happening where you live too . I bet we all have thousands of stories , all with the same results , innocent people , mostly children , dead .What was the response from the police ? Well the cops want more money . Like that's gonna help ! "We need more police on the street to combat crime " ! Bullshit !!!!! Da government's response ? "We need more laws to outlaw hand guns " ! Fuck'n Bullshit !!!!!!What we need is JOBS ! What we need is EDUCATION ! What we need is a HIGHER WORK ETHIC ! What we need is TEACHERS WHO GIVE A FUCK ! What we need is MORE SOCIAL ASSISTANCE ! What we need is Mothers and Fathers to take responsibility for THEIR CHILDREN ! What we need is MORE MONEY for the working poor ! What we need is THE PUNISHMENT TO FIT THE CRIME ! What we need is to LEGALIZE DRUGS ! What we need is , HONESTY ! What we need is A FUTURE !!!If the only way for young black kids [ ya I said it " BLACK KIDS" ]to make a living is to sell drugs , guess what ?"Don't think so hard" ! If the only way out of poverty is killing , guess what ? If the only way a kid from the streets can drive a new 300 is Ho'n , guess fuck'n what ?Children grow up think'n "what am i gonna be" ? All kids think that way , I did , so did you . All children imitate what they see it's a part of learning . They also learn from figures , father , mother , brother , teacher , etc... If their mentor is a drug dealer or a prostitute what's their future ? "Don't think so hard" ! Part of dealing is area . Question ? : If Johnny's area has 20 crack dealers and Johnny needs to buy his mother some smack , and Johnny has 15 rocks , how many crack dealers does Johnny need to kill to make enough money for a gram of black tar ? That's a tough question , but not for a kid in the hood ! The answer is ..."Alofem" ! You see Johnny doesn't care ! He doesn't care about them , or about you , maybe even his mother . But most of all , Johnny doesn't care about himself ! He has no self worth and no integrity . It hasn't been taught these things because nobody around him have them . Plus Johnny thinks he has no future . He will never say it but Johnny's thinks he's worthless . You know what ? He may be right ! Hey , he could be lucky , like his dad. His dad killed enough dealers that he took over the neighbourhood ?" He could be king like dad man" ! At lest for a while . Until some other young , strong , dude steps up and kills him . Just like old pops . When that little girl was shot that Thug was trained . Like a Doctor or Lawyer a Thug is trained . He is taught a Thugs life of , not caring , watch out for the other guy , kill first or you'll be killed , survival of the fittest or craziest . That Thug was trained for that moment when he pulled the trigger and ended that innocent life . You know what ? He doesn't care ! He wasn't taught to care and he will probably never care . Even when he says he cares . He's lost ! His life should end . That's the harsh reality . We must make the punishment fit the crime . "Sorry Johnny Your Dead" !The only way to change all of this is to change our way of thinking about society . Crime isn't faceless or random there is always a reason . MONEY ! "If I got none , how do you get some "? The easy solution ? Sell ! Sell your body , sell drugs , sell your soul . If you think you don't have one [ soul ] that's a very easy trade . Sex & Drugs are fun , let's face it , they're f'n fun to do ! That's why we do them ! That being said what is the easiest sell besides yourself ? "Drugs baby drugs" ! They're all around us and they are the easiest sell , they're the answer to all of our questions . Even when you don't have a question or a quest ! "Remember when you got all fucked up and George fucked you up the ass "? " No" ?" Neither does George" !" That was fun though" ! I know that didn't hap'n to you but we all know people that it did hap'n to . Always a good time , everybody has a story or two or three . Sometimes the stories get old , sometimes they come to often . That happens . Most of us get out of it or never get a habit . Some don't . When they don't the cycle of crime is about to commence . That addict will soon steal from friends and family , steal from work . steal from stores , steal from other dealers and if they don't get help , die . Die ugly ! A very grisly death ! We all know a few . Some were compatriots some were not . I love when these social scientists or therapists come on TV , "These young people have nothing to live for that's why they do drugs " ! Bullshit !!! If that were a fact the rich and the famous wouldn't do them it would be a 'class' problem . It's not ! It effects every walk of life no matter how much money , fame or success we have . We have to face the fact that drugs are fun ! That they will always be fun ! On a short term bases . Almost every young kid will try drugs [and every adult] . What we all must do after they try drugs is to teach them moderation. We moderate alcohol don't we ? Some don't , almost all do though . This is hard but not impossible . We must legalize all drugs , we must make them tax worthy . Making drugs a commodity is a pretty bold statement and a lot of you will disagree , but here me out . To make drugs legal would create jobs [ Hey Wally always with the jobs ! ] increase our services taxes to spend on infrastructure and education , eliminate drug crime [Ala prohibition] , make our streets safe again , make drugs safer to do and less chance of sickness of overdosing , and so on... "This all sounds so rosy Wally" ! It's not it's commerce and that is why that little girl died in a hail of gun fire . Commerce has it's victims but not like that little girl . That crime and crimes of they're vain will fade away . Here's a scenario . If that girl didn't get shot and she grew up , there is a 90% chance she would have tried illegal drugs of some form . The very thing she was killed over she might have done . That's a sick way of looking at this issue , but it's the truth . We have to see our future and if our future is living in fear because of a social issue , lets change society . Let's kill all forms of racism , let's clean up our neighbourhoods , let's educate every man , woman and child , let's police ourselves , LETS LEGALIZE DRUGS !Sa Again Wallycrawler .
12 Don't Just Sit There Say Sumthin !:
wtf is going on over there in Canada???? need first hand infos!
Well D.M. it's mostly the city of Toronto that's go'n to the dogs.
And the way the economy is, this area in particular, wont see an abrupt change in gang warfare and deaths. Certain areas in Toronto in the East & the West ends are shooting galleries! And forget about downtown, that's lost cause now...Nobody shops there anymore, except the sellect few.
As a mater of fact I see a huge increase in violence incurring in Toronto, Regina, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton... Every major city in Canada!
But mostly in Toronto and the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). Layoffs in the auto industry will collapse the economy and start a rise in crime. Cities like Oshawa, Burlington, Oakville...will become ghost towns. Much like Hamilton. has become.
Toronto is the future Buffalo or Detroit.
eye for an eye. People can not, could not and will not be able to regulate their drug use if legalized. They would kill themselves off though. We just need to quit caring....we save corpses that should have been let go all the time. These people don't want to be saved...when are we gonna get it? Survival of the fittest...in moderation of course.
R.I.P you beautiful young girl.
Hey Heather.
I don't really think the amount of drug use will go up. Maybe for the first year because of the novelty?
But after that nah!
Drug addicts chose they're lifestyle out of laziness, style, and the sheer drabness of their lives. Some also use to suppress childhood memories.
But we can't live our lives through the suffering of others. Also those people shouldn't do the same to us!
They have'ta grow up, face their demons or face the consequences.
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She really was a beautiful lil' girl eh Princess?
I invite all readers to find out about how special this child was.
She was lost on fear and bloated egos!
Enforce the laws that are on the books to the fullest extent. These kids/adults that are gang banging over drugs and turf, laugh at the laws right now becuase scum bag lawyers get them off all the time. That includes both sides of the border. IMO we need to bring back capital punishment for murder. At the same time dont let them appeal for 20 years and also make it public when we off someone. Get real tough for the nasty stuff and get back to justice from 200 years ago. If you rape someone, you get neutered or worse. If you steal, off with your hand, etc, etc. Law abiding Citizens have nothing to worry, about its only the criminals that should worry.
Until we, as a society, wake up and smell the coffee it will be business as ususal for gangs and everyday criminals.
I have a CCW permit and carry my1911 45 caliber handgun when ever possible. Defend yourself people, dont become a statistic or the front page news.
I do have an answer to your statement Rainman, but...
Has anyone noticed the hits I'm get'n from "Denise Austin", shit she's popular!
She's way hawt! She's way in her 40's now too!!!
Denise Austin = Ratings. Bloggers Take notice!!!
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Rainman I have guns too.
I've been trained with guns and been shot'n a 303 since I was 13. I also was give'n a over under when I was 15.
I've shot hand guns before, but don't want or need to ever have them around.
My hands/feet/head are my weapons!
If anyone's stupid enough to use a hand gun in rage or during a stupid drug turf war, they should be given the maximum sentence...That should = death!
Its so very sad but it keeps happening all the time. WHY is my qn!
Keshi.
We have a pretty liberal drug 'law' here. Maybe you read about it.
Marjhuana is not really legal (from the view of the law)... but with a small amount or home grown you normally would come away without any problems.
For addicts of hard drugs we have special programs (officially from the government!) where they get drugs, shelter and medical aid. Sounds crazy, I know. But in the end it's much cheaper and safer then dealing with crime, illness and all the pain. So if you give them better posibilities to 'land in a safe net' more and more are able to come back into a 'normal' life.
More police, more laws, more prisons is NOT the way to go. I agree with wally, legalize drugs. Decriminalize
America (and with it most of the world) is off the cliff. Unfortunately ultra violance will be all around us daily.
Time to step close together.
Keshi if you want the answer to that question watch the "Zeitgeist Movie".
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Our drug laws go up and down with the wind. We have no drug law that's in effect. Some guy will get the book thrown at'em for a small amount of coke, yet a major marijuana bust will get ya noth'n!
Most people don't wanna hear about this, especially "dopers", but coke has less side effects than pot, easier of the system in low doses, and less habit forming...Plus they're less deaths from coke in the criminal world than pot. Dope is a huge business in the west coast. So huge the taxes that would be generated would pay for all of Canada's heath care system!
It's time we all growed up, don'tcha think?
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Handmaiden we could go back to the vigilante dayz. You know the days we all long for with the KKK lead'n us to freedom?
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