Suspect in Mountain stabbing arrested
Police identify 17-year-old Joshua Leo as the city’s ninth homicide of the year
An 18-year-old who turned himself into police in relation to the stabbing death of another teenager will make a court appearance on Monday.
Police say Dawson Farr walked into a police station at 11 p.m. Saturday and allegedly said he was responsible for a stabbing the night before.
The Hamilton resident was arrested, and faces charges of manslaughter and assault with a weapon.
The victim has been identified as 17year-old Joshua Leo, also from Hamilton. Police called it the city’s ninth homicide of 2018. A family member declined to speak to The Spectator on Sunday afternoon.
Farr made a brief court appearance via video Sunday morning.
He wore blue coveralls with a white zipper and maintained a neutral expression, while his shoulder-length brown hair occasionally fell into his face.
There did not appear to be any friends or family in the courtroom.
Discussion of the charges was put over to a second court appearance scheduled for Monday at 10 a.m. His lawyer, Jeffrey Manishen, said it was too early to comment.
At this point, there’s little information about a connection between Leo and Farr. Homicide detectives aren’t saying whether the two teens knew each other.
The homicide took place around 4:30 p.m. Friday, police said.
Leo and another 18-year-old arrived at a home on Pinewarbler Drive near Bruleville Park in a white hatchback that belonged to one of their mothers.
Leo and his friend met two individuals, Farr and another male, police said.
The stabbing took place while all four individuals were in the hatchback, it’s alleged.
Leo suffered a serious chest wound, while the 18-year-old suffered minor stab wounds to his upper body. It’s not clear what sparked the attack.
Police said Farr and the other male ran from the scene, while another friend of Leo’s arrived at the scene to help.
Leo’s friend drove away in the white hatchback, intending to take the two injured teens to the nearest hospital.
However, once he realized how seriously Leo was injured, he pulled over near Kingfisher Drive and Upper Wentworth Street, near a McDonald’s restaurant, to call for assistance .
The friend called 911 and pulled Leo out of the car in front of the McDonald’s.
An off-duty firefighter driving behind the hatchback and an ex-military paramedic who was leaving Lime Ridge Mall tried unsuccessfully to save the boy’s life.
An autopsy on Leo’s body was conducted Saturday at the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto. The 18-year old who was injured was treated in hospital and released.
Police say they are still searching for the person who was in the hatchback who allegedly ran away with Farr.
A search warrant covering a Mountain home was issued.
Anyone with information is asked to call homicide Det. Geoff Burbidge at 905-546-2288.