Eight teenage girls who met via social media have been charged with the murder of a homeless man in Toronto on Sunday, police said.
A gang of three 13-year-olds, three 14-year-olds and two 16-year-olds surrounded their 59-year-old victim in a square near the essential train station just after midnight on December 18. Toronto police reported.
Witnesses who saw the ladies stab the man on York Street and University Avenue called an ambulance, which transported the victim to a nearby hospital. The victim, who lived in the town’s shelter system for several weeks, died from his injuries, Detective Sergeant Terry Browne said on Tuesday press conference.
The teenagers were found near the scene carrying “a variety of weapons”, Browne revealed.
![Detective Sergeant Terry Browne speaks at a press conference.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/detective-sergeant-terry-browne.jpg?1671571355&w=1024&1671571355)
![York Street and University Avenue in Toronto](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/toronto-stabbing-death-3.jpg?w=1024)
A gaggle of ladies – whose identities are protected under Canada’s Youth Criminal Justice Act – could have come out with the intention of causing trouble. Police said the teenagers were involved in one other argument about two hours before the homeless man was allegedly killed.
“What allegedly happened that evening could be consistent with what we traditionally call swarm-type behavior,” Browne said.
Browne said the three teenagers had a history with the police.
The women live in different parts of Toronto and met via social media, although police don’t yet understand how long they’ve known one another. Officials are still investigating why they met in the world and what their plans for the evening could have been.
All eight girls were charged with second-degree murder. They’ve been remanded in custody and are expected to reappear at the tip of the month.