Accused in alleged incel-inspired attack at Toronto massage parlour pleads guilty to murder, attempted murder - CBC.ca

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The man behind an incel-inspired attack at a Toronto massage parlour two years ago has pleaded guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder — citing the man responsible for the city's deadly van attack as "inspiration."

The accused, who was 17 at the time of the killing, cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Now 20, he made his plea at Ontario Superior Court on Wednesday morning, where court heard he had been thinking of carrying out his violent actions for months.

Slumped forward with his head down, the accused spoke softly as he replied, "Yes," to the judge, who explained that pleading guilty would waive his rights to a trial and an appeal.

When his charges were read aloud, he answered plainly, "Guilty," to both.

Asked why he identified as an incel, the teen told police in a statement, "You don't choose to become an incel. You are born one."

The plea does not cover the associated terror charges against the accused, which were added in the months after the February 2020 killing of 24-year-old Ashley Noell Arzaga and stabbing of another man and woman at the Crown Spa in the city's west end.

The case is believed to mark the first time terror charges have ever been laid in connection with an act fuelled by incel ideology. The van attack killer, Alek Minassian, was never charged with terrorism. The judge who found him guilty noted that he mentioned in some interviews that he tied his actions to incel ideology for notoriety.

In late February 2020, police were called to a massage parlour in Toronto's north end for a stabbing that left Ashley Noell Arzaga dead and another woman and man suffering multiple stab wounds. A 17-year-old was charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder. (Michael Cole/CBC)

Attacker says his life now 'ruined'​

Incel ideology or involuntary celibacy began as on online misogynistic subculture and is commonly characterized by a hatred or blame against women for an inability to find a romantic or sexual partner. The term gained widespread attention in 2018 when a man who posted about a so-called "incel rebellion" drove a van down a sidewalk in Toronto, killing 10 people and injuring 16 others.

In his statement to police, the then-teen told police said he did not expect to be alive at the end of the day and thought police would have killed him.

"It wasn't worth it. My life is ruined now," he said.

He also noted he was scared of how other inmates might treat him behind bars.

Court heard the accused was found with a hand-written note following the attack, reading: "Long live the rebellion of the incels."

As for why he was carrying the note, he told police, "I wanted everyone to find it. I wanted the world to know that people like us exist and it's not really fair."

'I'm strong,' says survivor​

Court heard the teen used a nearly half a metre-long sword as a murder weapon, which was inscribed with the words "thot slayer" — "thot" being a derogatory term used against women.

When one of the responding paramedics asked him what happened, court heard he replied that he'd "wanted to kill everyone in the building and I'm happy I got one."

The accused said did not remember making that statement but did not dispute saying it.

Court was also shown a 20-minute compilation of surveillance video in which the young man was seen stabbing Arzaga, the massage parlour's receptionist, to death. The footage begins with the teen leaving his home on foot less than two kilometres away from the spa and showed in graphic detail the moment when he pulled out the sword, killing Arzaga.

Family members and loved ones of the victims were visibly emotional, hugging one another as the scenes played on large screens in the courtroom.

CBC News spoke with the woman who survived the stabbing and grabbed the sword from the attacker, stabbing him in the back, ending the rampage, according to an agreed statement of facts.

She said she hoped the judge gave the accused the maximum sentence given the evidence against him. The woman cannot be named as her identity is protected under a publication ban.

Asked what it was like to see the surveillance video, she replied, "I've seen it a few times already. I'm strong."

The woman said she expected being in the same room as the attacker would be "a lot harder than it was," adding she was grateful for all the support she has received.

A judge will now determine if the accused's actions meet the bar of terrorist activity.

The Criminal Code defines terrorism as an act carried out "for a political, religious or ideological purpose, objective or cause" meant to intimidate the public by causing or attempting to cause death or serious bodily harm through violence, endangering health and safety, or disrupting an essential service.

Crown prosecutors are pushing for an adult sentence, while the defence is arguing the actions were not terrorism and is seeking a youth sentence.