Man accused of killing Oakville senior in unprovoked attack pleads guilty | The Canadian News

A man from Brampton, Ont., pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of 91-year-old Edmund Ferrari just as his trial was due to begin at a virtual court hearing in Milton on Wednesday morning.

Dazel Henry, who is now 25 years old, was on the verge of facing the original charge of first-degree murder, but the Crown agreed to plead to the lesser charge.

Henry faces an automatic life sentence with a parole inaccessibility period to be determined by the judge of between 10 and 25 years. He will also face immigration consequences and deportation as he is a U.S. citizen.

According to the facts, Ferrari left his retirement resort on the afternoon of August 24, 2019 for a walk around the block.

He was using a walker and was in Church Street, just north of Lake Shore Road East, in Oakville when he was approached by a stranger.

Henry admitted pushing a knife into Ferrari’s chest. Ferrari’s main aorta and pulmonary artery were hit and he collapsed. Henry ran from the scene to a vehicle parked some distance away.

Ferrari’s body was discovered by a nearby downtown resident who called 911.

Despite the life-saving efforts of the emergency services personnel, Ferrari was pronounced dead at the scene.

Henry is due to appear in court again on January 31.

The crown and defense will ask the judge to order an NQF (not criminally responsible) assessment before sentencing.