Toronto Van Attack Survivors & Victims' Families Shared Accounts At Today's Court Sentencing

On Monday, June 13, survivors and family members of the victims of the Toronto van attack in 2018 appeared in court to share how the deadly incident impacted them.

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On March 3, 2021, Alek Minassian was found guilty of 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder after he drove down a stretch of Yonge Street in North York on April 23, 2018, hitting several pedestrians.

Under Canada's Criminal Code, first-degree murder convictions have an automatic life sentence without the possibility to apply for parole for 25 years. Minassian's sentencing hearing was postponed awaiting a decision from the Supreme Court of Canada about whether murder sentences could be served consecutively.

His sentencing hearings began Monday morning in the Superior Court on University Avenue in Toronto, where three dozen victim impact statements will reportedly be read over the next few days, the Toronto Star reports.

This hearing will be the first time victims and families face the attacker in person, CP24 reports, since last year's trial happened over Zoom and just in front of the judge.

Three women who reportedly saw the attack that day and tried to help the victims showed up in court today, the Star reports, and shared how they still get flashbacks from the incident.

"I was the last person to see them alive," one said.

One of the injured survivors of the attack, Cathy Riddell, stood at the witness box with her niece, who read her statements out on her bahalf.

"Do you even feel a little bit guilty for what you did ... I will live with these feelings forever. Will you? Does it haunt you the way it haunts me?" Riddell's niece reportedly read.

The father of Anne Marie D'Amico, who was killed in the attack, also spoke, according to live tweets of the sentencing from CityNews reporter Momin Qureshi. He said he is part of the 26 families who are "living in a constant hell, all because women didn't respond to the advances of this killer."

Justice Anne Molloy thanked those who spoke on the stand, according to CTV News.

Beutis Renuka Amarasingha, Andrea Bradden, Geraldine Brady, So He Chung, Anne Marie D'Amico, Betty Forsyth, Chul Min Kang, Ji Hun Kim, Munir Najjar, Dorothy Sewell and Amaresh Tesfamariam died as a result of the 2018 attack.

Forsyth's nephew, Najjar's daughter and survivor So Ra were also among those who spoke at court today so far, Qureshi reports.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.