Two teens denied bail in alleged homicide

A judge has ordered two of the girls charged with murdering a homeless man in downtown Toronto to remain in custody ahead of trial.

Justice Maria Sirivar made the decision in court on Tuesday afternoon, following daylong hearings that took place late last month. At the end of each of those hearings, the judge said she needed time to make the decision and consider the evidence.

Earlier, the judge ordered that one of the girls be transferred to an open custody facility for youth from a secure facility. On Tuesday, the judge ordered the other girl also be transferred to an open facility.

Open detention facilities are “generally smaller residences located in the community where youth can have access to staff-supervised programming in the community,” according to the website for the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services which has oversight over youth detention. Secure facilities are “generally larger sites, which have higher security measures” and access to the community is generally facilitated only where approved.

There is very little the Star can publish about the girls or the evidence heard at their bail hearings, as the information is covered by publication bans that protect the identity of young people charged with criminal offences. The Star is only able to say what the judge’s decision is on bail and the conditions for each youth if they are released.

As of Tuesday, four of eight girls charged with 59-year-old Kenneth Lee’s murder have been released from custody on bail. Now, two more have been remanded to custody.

Two additional girls have individual bail hearings scheduled for Thursday and Friday of this week.

Justice Sirivar has presided over each of the completed bail hearings.

The teens — ages 13, 13, 13, 14, 14, 14, 16 and 16 — were arrested on Dec. 18 and later charged with second-degree murder after Lee was sent to hospital with stab wounds and died of his injuries.

The case against the girls has yet to be tried in court and they are presumed innocent pending trial.