The teenager accused of killing Darius Brown has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Seventeen-year-old Brown was found dead outside an apartment building at the corner of Westminster and Westhaven in Cote-St-Luc exactly a year ago, on Nov. 17, 2016.
An 18-year-old suspect originally pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree murder, but changed his plea in Montreal’s youth court Friday.
The teen cannot be named because he was a minor at the time of his arrest. At the time, the defence argued against trying the suspect as an adult, though he turned 18 shortly after his arrest.
He has been in detention since he was denied bail in December.
An autopsy revealed that Brown’s cause of death was a stab wound to the back, and video recorded by a security camera in the lobby of the apartment building moments before the incident depicts Brown interacting with the young man.
Police initially told media that Brown died after a fall that occurred while he was attempting to rob a 19-year-old woman.
At the time, these reports were based on a witness account, but that same primary witness is now facing three charges of obstruction, and one charge of being an accessory after the fact.
Montreal police allege that the witness gave false statements about how the events played out that night.
Brown -- a high school student-- lived in NDG and was an active member at local community centres, namely Westhaven, where both his parents were involved.
Brown's family is holding a memorial Friday night on the anniversary of his death.
