14-year-old faces 2nd degree murder charge in relation to killing of Devan Selvey

A 14-year-old boy charged in relation tothe killing of Devan Selveywill stand trial forsecond-degree murder.

He is accused ofstabbingDevan, who was14, to death on Oct. 7, 2019 outside Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School.

He was initially charged with first-degree murder, which would imply the killing was planned.

The suspect, who can'tbe identified under a court-ordered publication ban, appeared via Zoom call at the preliminary hearing in Hamilton'sJohn Sopinka Courthouse on Thursdaymorning beforeJustice Bernd Zabel.

The court room was barren, with nearly everyone involvedtuning in online.The preliminary hearing started an hour late due to a "province-wide" Zoom error. The appearancelasted about 15 minutes.

The accused's older brother, 18,is serving 15 months of probation on a suspended sentence after pleadingguilty to the unauthorized possession of a weapon in August.

The 14-year-old is back in court onFeb. 19.

Selvey's death spurred a review of bullying at the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, which found a "culture of fear" in its schools.