Teenager guilty of manslaughter in stabbing of 16-year-old Halifax student

HALIFAX – A Nova Scotia judge has convicted a 17-year-old boy of manslaughter for his role in the stabbing death of a Halifax high school student.

The offender, whose identity is protected from publication, was charged with second-degree murder in the death last year of 16-year-old Ahmad Al Marrach.

On April 16 a Crown prosecutor told the 17-year-old’s trial that the charge would be reduced to manslaughter because there wasn’t enough evidence to secure a conviction on the more serious offence.

The Crown had argued he was responsible for organizing a one-on-one fight with Al Marrach near the Halifax Shopping Centre on April 22, 2024, and knew it would turn into a wider brawl.

The Crown and defence agreed the 17-year-old was not the one who stabbed Al Marrach as three other teens joined in assaulting the victim.

A sentencing hearing for the 17-year-old is scheduled to begin Oct. 20.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2025.

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