An image of the rented van used in a deadly attack in Toronto in 2018.
The Toronto man who drove a van into crowds of people in April 2018, killing 10, has been found guilty of 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder.
On April 23, 2018 Alek Minassian, 28, rented a van and plowed down pedestrians on Yonge Street, one of Toronto’s major thoroughfares.
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges; his defence team argued he’s not criminally responsible for the attacks due to his autism.
“It is my hope that his name would no longer be published by name by anyone else,” she said.
“He knew that the vast majority of people in society would find an act of mass murder to be morally wrong,” she said.
He argued that while the killer understands rules—such as it’s against the law to kill people—he “only understood wrongfulness at the intellectual level.” »
