New charges laid against teen facing murder charge in death of Hamilton boy

New charges laid against teen facing murder charge in death of Hamilton boy
CHEK

A 14-year-old boy charged with murder in the fatal stabbing of a teen in Hamilton now faces new charges in connection with an unrelated incident.

Hamilton police said the teen, who cannot be named due to provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, has been charged with assault causing bodily harm, forcible confinement and two counts of uttering threats.

The teen appeared in court Thursday to face the new charges while also appearing for the first-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of 14-year-old Devan Bracci-Selvey in early October.

The slain teen’s mother, Shari-Ann Bracci-Selvey, witnessed the attack on her son on Oct. 7, 2019. She said her son was bullied relentlessly by fellow students at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School in the weeks leading up to his death.

Police initially charged the 14-year-old boy and an 18-year-old man with first-degree murder, but the charges against the older accused were later downgraded. Police have said the 14-year-old boy was the one holding the knife.

Bracci-Selvey’s death helped spur the provincial government last month to introduce new anti-bullying measures in schools.

It also prompted another youth to come forward with allegations of a serious assault by the same boy who is charged in Bracci-Selvey’s death, police said Thursday.

“At the time of these offences the victim did not report the matter to police due to fear,” Hamilton police said in a statement. “The victim only reported the matter to police after learning that the accused youth in this matter was in custody for an unrelated incident.”

Police launched an investigation in November.

They say the first incident occurred in June 2017 when the alleged victim went to a home in the city’s east end. Police allege the accused assaulted the teen with a weapon, threatened him and “forcibly held the victim against his will.”

Police said the alleged victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries that required medical attention. They said the two boys were involved in a verbal altercation in January 2019 when the accused allegedly threatened the teen.

This report by the Canadian Press was first published Jan. 2, 2020.

Liam Casey, The Canadian Press

The Canadian PressThe Canadian Press

Recent Stories

Send us your news tips and videos!