The teenager accused of murdering Darius Brown pleaded guilty to manslaughter on Friday, the anniversary of the young man's death.
The 17-year-old was found dead at a Cote-St-Luc apartment building the evening of Nov. 17, 2016.
A coroner confirmed he died from being stabbed in the back, but originally police didn't report his death as a homicide. Police initially said he died from a fall during an attempted robbery, and that Brown was the perpetrator.
The witness that told police of the supposed robbery was later charged with obstruction and being an accessory to a felony after the fact. Police now allege the witness provided false information and have apologized to Brown's family.
The 18-year-old man that was accused of murdering Brown was a minor when the stabbing took place and cannot be named.
He originally pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree murder, but changed his plea during an appearance in youth court on Friday, admitting guilt and receiving a lesser sentence of manslaughter.
During the court case for their son's killer, Brown's parents said any justice served would not make up for the injustice done to their boy.
“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,” Brown's father, Stephen Hennessy, told CJAD 800 News.
His family remembered Brown as a generous and caring young man, who worked with children at the Westhaven Community Centre.
“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 the late teen's mother, Roxanne Brown.
"At the community centre where we worked, he was a councillor, he took care of Westhaven's turtle," added Hennessy, who said his son had just begun coaching basketball to younger kids and was excited to share his passion and knowledge of the game.
Family held a memorial to mark the one-year anniversary of Brown's death on Friday night.