A 15-year-old boy who fatally stabbed a retired kindergarten teacher in Pickering last year expressed his remorse in court on Tuesday.
The teenager, who was 14 at the time and cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in April for the death of Eleanor Doney, 83.
He spoke to a crowded courtroom in Oshawa on Tuesday, saying he was “deeply sorry.”
“After months of reflection, I’ve come to comprehend how my actions have had an impact on the community,” he stated.
The teen also mentioned that he “made a grave mistake, but I do not want that to define who I am.”
Doney was discovered with stab wounds outside a home on Lynn Heights Drive and Fairport Road in May 2025.
WATCH | Local pastor said community ‘devastated’ by Doney’s death last year:
‘You wouldn’t find a better person’: Pickering community mourns elderly woman killed in stabbing
Community members placed flowers outside the home where an elderly woman was allegedly killed by a 14-year-old boy in Pickering on Thursday. CBC’s Talia Ricci explains what we know about the retired teacher.
The Crown and defence are jointly requesting a sentence of six years in custody, followed by four years under supervision within the community. This is the maximum sentence permitted under the Youth Criminal Justice Act for young offenders convicted of first-degree murder.
The defence is asking for one year of credit for time already served, while the Crown argued that the teen should receive the full sentence without that credit.
Court proceedings revealed on Tuesday that although the Crown initially filed notice to pursue an adult sentence for the teen, they withdrew it because they couldn’t prove beyond reasonable doubt that he had “adult-like maturity” during the incident.
The judge expressed she is “cautiously optimistic” about delivering her sentencing decision on Wednesday.
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