The family of Darius Brown wants justice after the 17-year-old was killed a month ago in Cote-St-Luc.
The teen’s family was in court Friday to see the teenager who is charged in his murder.
Speaking openly about their son, they say Darius is never far from their thoughts
“Every day, from this point forward is for our son Darius Brown and his memory. We miss him. We miss him daily and we miss him dearly,” said his father, Stephen Hennessy.
The legal debate at issue Friday was over the accused killer's bail hearing and whether or not he'll face an adult sentence.
For the boy's family, the issue lays elsewhere.
“For us, really, Darius – our son – has already been sentenced. There's already been an injustice. So if we ask for justice, there's already been an injustice. Our son is gone. Seventeen years old is just too young to be gone and there’s no way it can be overturned or debated,” said Hennessy.
The family is still angry at police, because they first blamed Brown for what happened until the investigation showed he was the victim.
“He's touched so many people and it's across race, across age – and it's so amazing to see people love him like I did. And he deserved that because that's the life he lived,” said his mother, Roxanne Brown.
The defence has a different reading of the events which led to Darius Brown's murder and plan to plead not guilty.
They are seeking to get the young man out on bail. The accused, who turned 18 shortly after his arrest, cannot be identified. He will be tried in youth court, but could face an adult sentence.
“I don't believe the circumstances of this case warrant it,” said defence lawyer Andrew Barbacki. “Close to 18 is not 18 and he was a youth when the offence, the charges, the incident occurred.”
The accused returns to court next week.
Brown's family will also keep close tabs on what happens.
“If it wasn't for that maybe the situation would be written off as just another black youth that has been lost his life in the streets,” said Hennessy.
