Teen pleads guilty to murder, admits recruitment by tow truck industry

A 16-year-old has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, confessing that he was recruited and paid by adults connected to the tow truck industry to commit the crime. The teen, whose identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, also admitted guilt to 13 counts of reckless firearm discharge in relation to a series of shootings that occurred over a six-week period starting in May 2024.

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His murder was connected to the well-known violence in the tow truck industry.

The victim, 28-year-old tow truck operator Sulakshan Selvasingam, was targeted due to his involvement in the industry's pervasive violence. Assistant Crown attorney Sharna Reid stated in court that "influential adults connected to the tow truck industry recruited the teen to commit the offence." These adults allegedly had access to firearms and were prepared for retaliatory violence, using minors like the 16-year-old by offering money to carry out the murder.

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influential adults connected to the tow truck industry recruited the teen to commit the offence.

Court documents reveal that on July 5, 2024, the 16-year-old and two 15-year-olds spent hours searching for Selvasingam in stolen vehicles. The 16-year-old reportedly received instructions from an adult on how to commit the murder and was directed to record the act. The following day, July 6, the three youths drove through the same area in two stolen vehicles. The 16-year-old and one of the 15-year-olds waited in a white Honda Civic at a Shell gas station on Warden Avenue near Ellesmere Avenue.

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believed that they would not hesitate to harm those perceived enemies, including those who had previously aligned with them. These adults used young persons, including (the teen), by offering him a sum of money to carry out the murder of Mr. Selvasingam.

Selvasingam had attended a car meet that evening and was on his way to meet someone when he pulled into the gas station parking lot around 10:16 p.m. His Mercedes was parked directly beside the Honda Civic when the shooting occurred. The agreed statement of facts detailed how the youths reversed into a parking space to wait for the victim.

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received instructions from an adult on how to go about killing Mr. Selvasingam and was further directed to record the murder.