Latest news with #ThaneMurray
Toronto Sun
09-07-2025
- Toronto Sun
MANDEL: Killers sentenced to life for senseless 'execution' of beloved youth worker
Junior Jahmal Harvey, 23, was sentenced to an automatic life term with no possibility of parole for 25 years in the slaying of youth worker Thane Murray. Co-accused Noah Anderson, 24, not pictured, received the same sentence. The judge called it the murder trial's 'elephant in the room.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Why in the world did Noah Anderson, 24, Junior Jahmal Harvey, 23, and their two accomplices unleash 59 shots at strangers just enjoying a smoke in Regent Park? As the men ran for their lives, why did they pump 14 bullets into Thane Murray, the beloved 27-year-old city youth worker, even as he lay dying? Why did they shoot Allen Uthayakumaran nine times, leaving him in a coma for three weeks, or nail Tony Nguyen in the foot as he managed to escape? Was it all because of a beef over rival neighbourhoods? Or even more senseless, to provide the gleeful lyrics for their rap song where they boasted of sending their victim 'straight to Jesus?' Has life really become this cheap in our city? Thane Murray, 27, a Regent Park youth worker, was viciously murdered in 2021. Photo by TORONTO POLICE In a packed downtown courtroom Tuesday, Superior Court Justice Gillian Roberts sentenced Anderson and Harvey to automatic life terms with no possibility of parole for 25 years for murder and two concurrent life sentences for the attempted murders in what she called a 'new high-water mark of harm' with their attack on an entire community. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The young killers appeared to smirk and swivel in their chairs with boredom as Roberts recounted the pain they've caused with Murray's senseless execution. 'There is no evidence that any of the accused knew any of the victims. Nor is there any evidence that anyone would have a motive to hurt, let alone kill, any of the victims,' she said. 'The elephant in the room throughout this trial was why did this happen? Mr. Anderson and Mr. Harvey and the other two shooters are the only ones that can provide real insight into that question. All I can say is that I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Anderson and Mr. Harvey, together with Rajahden Angus Campbell, wrote Peppered about the shooting and it demonstrates deep animus toward the neighbourhood of Regent Park.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More It was Sept. 18, 2021 — a Saturday night — and Murray was with his two childhood friends, planning their next day's basketball game while hanging out at the edge of the parking lot in the area of Regent Park known as the 'swimming pool.' They had no idea their neighbourhood had been targeted in a carefully planned ambush by four shooters from the MG4L (Menace Gang For Life), a rap collective associated with Alexandra Park and with a hate-on for Regent Park. Their organizer appeared to be the unlikely Anderson, a high-achieving entrepreneur and York University child education student obviously attracted to the gangster side of life. He scouted the shooting target area, rented the getaway car and booked a nearby hotel room to be their 'staging ground.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. After the four shooters changed the car's licence plates as well as their clothes, they parked close to Regent Park and walked in with guns blazing. Of the two remaining masked suspects, Jabreel Elmi, 30, is awaiting trial after his arrest in Saskatoon earlier this year while Angus Campbell, 22, remains at large. 'The violence involved in the shooting was extreme,' Roberts said. 'The victims were completely innocent; guilty of nothing more than sitting, chatting, enjoying a warm late-summer evening with old friends in their neighbourhood.' RECOMMENDED VIDEO Just 10 days after the murder, Anderson and Harvey were in a recording studio working on their rap song boasting about taking a stranger's life, claiming responsibility as the 'RP (Regent Park) killas.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Your block is getting peppered / MG4L man,' the song says. ' Left him DOA / Flip 'n flopping like a seizure … sent that boy straight to Jesus.' What a beacon of light they chose to extinguish. Murray's mom Dawn was so overcome with anguish that she could barely get out the words of her victim impact statement. 'It feels like they ripped my son out of my stomach. Even though I look fine on the outside I am dying on the inside.' The common theme in the 16 statements was that the youth mentor was a much-loved force for good, 'Mr. Murray was such an integral part of so many of the programs being run at the Regent Park community centre that they had to be shut down immediately after his death,' the judge noted. 'Worse, the community lost a shining star, a success story. This not only undermined the community's sense of safety, but it struck at its ability to hope.' And why? Has life become so cheap in this city? It seems it has. mmandel@ Toronto Blue Jays Canada Canada Sunshine Girls Canada
CBC
08-07-2025
- CBC
2 men given life sentences for shooting that killed Regent Park youth worker
Two men were sentenced Tuesday to life in prison after being found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of a Regent Park youth worker. A jury convicted Noah Anderson and Junior Jahmal Harvey, both 23, in April, nearly four years after 27-year-old Thane Murray was gunned down in a Toronto parking lot while sitting and chatting with friends. Ontario Superior Court Justice Gillian Roberts sentenced Anderson and Harvey to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 25 years, as is required by law for a first-degree murder conviction. Both men have also been given two life sentences for the attempted murder of Allen Uthayakumaran and Tony Nguyen, the friends Murray was with that night. The Crown had asked for concurrent life sentences, while defence lawyers had asked for concurrent sentences in the range of 12 to 15 years, noting their lack of previous criminal records. 'Very high degree of planning,' judge rules On Sept. 18, 2021, Murray and his childhood friends Uthayakumaran and Nguyen were chatting in a parking lot area in Regent Park. "The victims were completely innocent; guilty of nothing more than sitting, chatting, enjoying a warm late-summer evening," Roberts said in her decision. Uthayakumaran was shot nine times, while Nguyen was shot only once, which the judge said was "not through lack of effort on the part of the shooters." "Mr. Nguyen was simply the first to notice the shooters and run," she said. Murray was shot 14 times and died at the scene. "He was executed," Roberts said. Meanwhile, Uthayakumaran was in a coma for three months. "There are a number of very significant aggravating circumstances," Roberts noted in her decision. She said the violence was "extreme" and "involved a very high degree of planning and deliberation." Roberts described the shooting as "senseless," saying there was no evidence that Anderson or Harvey knew any of the victims. Murray was beloved by the community and by his family, the judge noted. His mother, father, brother, grandmother, sister and aunt, as well as friends, community members and teachers provided victim impact statements in court, describing their loss. His mother, in particular, said she still can't bring herself to look at his picture.
Toronto Sun
28-04-2025
- Toronto Sun
Two found guilty in Regent Park youth worker murder: 'Sent that boy straight to Jesus'
The pair were also convicted of two counts of attempted murder in the 2021 gunplay Get the latest from Brad Hunter straight to your inbox Thane Murray, 27, a Regent Park youth worker, was viciously murdered in 2021. TPS Photo by TORONTO POLICE HANDOUT / TORONTO SUN Two gunmen who shot a Regent Park youth worker 14 times have been convicted of first-degree murder. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Noah Anderson, 23, and Junior Jahmal Harvey, 23, were among the four masked men who opened fire in a Regent Park parking lot on Sept. 18, 2021. Thane Murray, 27, was killed in the wild gunplay while two of his friends were injured. One of the key pieces of evidence was a rap song the Crown played for the jury that detectives found on Anderson's phone, recorded 10 days after the shooting. Prosecutors argued that the Anderson and Harvey duet described the murder. The rap — entitled Peppered — features boasting by the pair calling themselves the 'RP (Regent Park) killas.' Another lyric about a headshot proclaimed that it 'sent that boy straight to Jesus.' The Toronto jury reached its verdict Saturday night after a day and a half of deliberation. Both triggermen were also found guilty of two counts of attempted murder. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. For their violent, cold-blooded actions, the duo will receive automatic life sentences with no chance of parole for 25 years. According to cops, the quarter fired 59 bullets using handguns on the night of the murder. Murray died at the scene after being hit 14 times. One of the bullets hit Murray in the head. Rajahden Angus Campbell, of Toronto, is still wanted on a nationwide warrant for first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in connection with the 2021 shooting death of Thane Murray. Photo by Toronto Police His two friends survived the carnage, but one of them remained in a coma for several weeks. Prosecutors said that the murder scheme was rooted in neighbourhood rivalries. But identifying the shooters was the crucial task for the Crown. They built a case using mostly circumstantial evidence, including surveillance video that tracked Anderson, Harvey and two other shooters driving to and from Regent Park in downtown Toronto in a Nissan Altima rented under Anderson's name. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Video captured the quartet walking to a car parked on McGill St. after they had left the Chelsea Hotel on Gerrard St. E., where Anderson had rented a room. According to CBC News, footage also captured the quartet returning in the same car and then parking on the same street 30 minutes after the shooting. They then reentered the hotel. In addition, the video footage revealed that the killers changed clothes and shoes before and after the murder. Jabreel Elmi, 30, of Toronto, was arrested Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, by Saskatoon Police while wanted on a nationwide warrant for murder and attempted murder. Photo by Toronto Police A third suspect, Jabreel Elmi, was arrested by the Saskatoon Police Service in January. Elmi, now 30, had been on Canada's most-wanted list for his alleged involvement in the Regent Park shooting. At one point, he made it to No. 24 on the BOLO (be on the lookout) most-wanted list of Canadian fugitives. None of the charges have been proven against him in court. Rajahden Angus Campbell, of Toronto, is wanted on a nationwide warrant for first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in connection with the 2021 shooting death of Thane Murray. Photo by Toronto Police Rajahden Angus Campbell, of Toronto, is still wanted on a nationwide warrant for first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in connection with the murder of Murray. If you have any information regarding this case, contact Toronto Police Homicide at 416-808-7400, or at homicide@ Or Crime Stoppers at 416−222−TIPS (8477); or via the internet at bhunter@ @HunterTOSun Sunshine Girls World Canada Toronto Maple Leafs Sunshine Girls
