Canadian 'incel' killer found guilty of murder over Toronto van attack - The Guardian

Self-described ‘incel’ convicted of 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder.

A Canadian man who killed 10 people when he drove a rental van on to a crowded Toronto sidewalk has been found guilty of murder, after a judge rejected defense arguments that he was unable to understand the consequence of his actions.

Alek Minassian was convicted of 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder in a hearing held online on Wednesday.

Ontario superior court justice Anne Molloy said the accused had craved infamy for his killings, and refused to use his name, referring to him throughout as “John Doe”.

He knew their families would grieve,” said Molloy as she delivered her judgment.

The judge spoke of the “numerous ordinary citizens who tended to the injured and comforted the dying at the scene” as well those who tried to wrest control of the van from the accused and shouted to warn pedestrians.

The Ontario Autism Coalition, which had previously expressed frustration over the use of autism in the defence argument, said it in a statement it was relieved at Molloy’s decision

“Violent traits have no connection to autism; in fact, people on the autism spectrum are far more likely to be victims as opposed to perpetrators of violence,” the group said