Young offender convicted of manslaughter after fatal stabbing in Surrey, B.C.

Police at the scene of stabbing in Surrey, B.C., on Aug. 18, 2022.

A British Columbia man, who was a teenager when he stabbed a man to death in Surrey in 2022, has been convicted of manslaughter in what homicide investigators referred to Thursday as a “senseless attack.”

The killer, who cannot be named because he was a young offender at the time of the attack, was found guilty earlier this month in the death of 44-year-old Leroy Billy.

Billy was found suffering from stab wounds after police responded to an assault in progress near the intersection of 184 Street and Fraser Highway on Aug. 18, 2022.

The victim was transported to hospital where he died of his injuries.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team took conduct of the investigation and soon released a statement saying the victim had been “confronted by a group of youths and then fatally stabbed” after exiting a transit bus.

One year later, IHIT announced that a 17-year-old suspect from Surrey had been charged with manslaughter.

“Mr. Billy died tragically from a senseless attack on the street,” said IHIT Sgt. Freda Fong in a statement announcing the conviction Thursday.

“Mr. Billy’s life was cut short suddenly as a result of the accused’s actions and our thoughts continue to be with his family as the court proceedings come to a conclusion.”

The homicide team said the conviction on Feb. 5 was made possible after several witnesses co-operated with police and testified in court against the accused.

The offender is scheduled to appear for a sentencing hearing in March.

The federal Youth Criminal Justice Act prohibits the publication of the name or other identifying details of a young offender except in cases where the offender has been sentenced as an adult.