Two young men accused of murdering 15-year-old Jordan Manners in the hallway of his school have pleaded not guilty.
The trial began on Wednesday.
Crown Attorney Aaron del Rizzo told the court the nature of the case is very "disturbing and shocking," because it "happened in the middle of the afternoon, in a school, while classes were in session"
The Crown alleges that this was a planned and deliberate murder.
"(They) had the exclusive opportunity
to carry out the planned and deliberate murder of Jordan Manners," del Rizzo said in
his opening address.
The two accused, now 20, are charged with first-degree murder in the May 23, 2007 shooting at C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute. Manners was found lying in the hall near the indoor pool section of the campus late in the school day with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was rushed to Sunnybrook Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. He had turned 15 just a few days before.
Four days later, police arrested one 17-year-old boy during a sweep in the Jane and Finch area and hours later the second suspect surrendered to authorities.
The two young men can’t be identified because they were minors at the time of the crime. Both are former friends of Manners. The victim’s mother, Lorraine Small, was in the court when the two accused entered their pleas.
Witnesses expected to testify at the trial include students and teachers who witnessed the attack.
The shocking crime prompted the Falconer Report, which listed recommendations on how to make city schools safer. In Sept. 2008 police officers were placed in several Toronto high schools as part of a school resource officer initiative - a move that was proposed by Police Chief Bill Blair before the murder at C.W. Jefferys.
