Police have identified a man killed in an alleged “swarming” attack by eight teenage girls in Toronto last month as Ken Lee.

Ken Lee

Lee, 59, was pronounced dead in hospital after he was allegedly beaten and stabbed by the group of girls outside a downtown shelter in the early morning hours of Dec. 18, 2022.

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All eight girls, who range in age from 13 to 16 years old, were charged with second-degree murder. {snip}

Their identities are protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Courtroom sketches of suspects

A friend of Lee’s who saw his alleged attack told CBC Toronto the girls had tried to take a liquor bottle from her and Lee had tried to stop them. The lead detective on the case later confirmed that police believe there was an attempted theft — “likely of a liquor bottle” — during the initial phase of the deadly encounter.

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