TORONTO — A shelter worker who stepped in to stop an alleged group attack on a homeless man in a downtown Toronto parkette two years ago testified Thursday the man had blood pouring down his face but didn't appear to be in a life-or-death situation.
Melissa Alexander took the stand at the trial of two teen girls charged in the death of Kenneth Lee, a 59-year-old man who was living in the city's shelter system.
The girls, who were 14 and 16 at the time, have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.
Alexander told the court she was wrapping up her evening shift at a then-temporary shelter near the parkette on Dec. 17, 2022 when she heard a commotion.
When she looked over, she saw a group of girls descending on something like a pack of animals attacking their prey, she told the court. Only after she had pushed them off did she realize there was a person on the ground, Alexander said.
“They were kicking on him, stomping on him and spitting on him,” she said. "He was just on the ground … there was blood running from his face.”
Some other shelter residents identified him as Lee, and Alexander was able to recognize him, she said.
Alexander was "exchanging words" with the girls as they headed toward stairs that would take them to Union Station and asking them to explain their actions, she said. The conversation was heated, with both sides cursing at each other, she said.
The shelter worker walked back toward Lee and flagged down a nearby ambulance shortly afterward, she said. She told paramedics what she knew about Lee and pointed at the girls in the distance when asked who had left him in that state, she added. Paramedics loaded Lee onto a stretcher and Alexander went home soon after, she said.
When her manager called the next day to inform her that Lee had died, Alexander was shocked, she said.
"No, that's impossible," she remembered responding. "When I left him with the paramedics, he was alive."
Under cross-examination, Alexander said there was no indication Lee was critically injured, nor had she seen any weapons. Had that been the case, she would have acted differently, she added.
At least one teen in the group captured parts of the incident on video, court heard. In one short clip, Lee is standing with blood running from his nose down his face.
Court has heard Lee died in the early hours of Dec. 18, 2022 after undergoing emergency surgery at St. Michael's Hospital.
Eight girls between the ages of 13 and 16 were arrested shortly afterward.
Prosecutors allege the youngest of the two girls on trial is the one who fatally wounded Lee, but have not yet specified when they believe it happened or with what. Court has heard that girl was found with two small scissors and a pair of tweezers when she was arrested.
Another member of the group was found with a stun gun, vise grips and a small pepper spray, court heard earlier this week.
Last year, three of the other girls accused in the case pleaded guilty to manslaughter and one to assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon.
Two other girls are set to face a jury trial this May on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter, respectively.
None of the teens can be identified because they were minors at the time of the incident.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2025.
Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press
