MANDEL: No more time in custody for two girls guilty in deadly swarming
Two teenage girls are not going to be doing any more time in custody for the deadly swarming attack on Kenneth Lee, a homeless man.
I came across this news article about Ken Lee, a homeless Asian man who was attacked and killed by eight teenage girls in Toronto back in 2022. Two of the teens have already been sentenced, but it looks like they’re basically walking away without any more time in custody.
From what I read, one teen pleaded guilty to manslaughter and got credit for the time she spent locked up before sentencing—so she’s out, only on a supervised program. Another girl pled guilty to lesser charges and got probation. It just blows my mind how someone can be involved in a brutal attack and still skate by with hardly any real jail time. And they’re apparently still trying the other four or so girls in separate cases.
There’s a Reddit post floating around about this too, and folks there are rightly upset. Some are pointing out that Canada’s justice system is lenient on minors, which might be true—but it’s hard not to think there’s also a big dose of racism and indifference toward homeless victims at play. It’s frustrating to see how the media focuses so much on the girls’ backgrounds and “troubled childhoods,” while the victim barely gets any attention.
Anyway, just wanted to hear your thoughts. Does it seem like the system is failing here? Or do you think people are overreacting? Honestly, I’m just tired of seeing Asian victims brushed aside or minimized. Let me know what you all think.