Teen witness shown videos of friend's homicide at Halifax mall
Friend of Ahmad Al Marrach testified for a second day at the trial of one of four teens accused of killing
A friend of Ahmad Al Marrach testified for a second day Thursday at the trial of one of four teens accused of killing the 16-year-old.
The witness is only 15 and his identity is protected by a publication ban. He testified through an Arabic interpreter.
The Crown and defence showed him a series of videos that had been obtained from security cameras in and around a parkade at the Halifax Shopping Centre where the homicide occurred.
He was able to identify himself, Al Marrach and others from the videos as the two groups moved around in the moments leading up to the skirmish.
The video also showed the stabbing itself, although since the cameras are automated, they did not zoom in to provide very close images of what was going on.
The witness said that Al Marrach had sent text messages to friends before the fight on April 22, 2024, alerting them to what was supposed to happen and asking them to show up.
A group including Al Marrach and the witness travelled by Halifax Transit bus to the Mumford Road bus terminal, which is right across the road from the parkade.
The group gathered in a nearby Tim Hortons to await the appointed time.
The witness said his group didn't intend to intervene and were only there to make sure it remained a fair fight. He said they never intended to touch anyone in the opposing group, and their plan was that if things turned violent, they would just leave.
In his first day of testimony, the witness said none of his group was armed so they stayed back when members of the other group pulled knives.
When asked about the accused in this trial, the witness could not recall seeing him holding a knife, even though all four of the teens who were charged with murder were armed that day.
The witness also testified that he was so focused on what was happening with Al Marrrach that he didn't pay attention to, or couldn't remember what was happening with others in the parkade during the fight.
He said what he saw shocked him and made him forget.
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