Trial for 4 N.S. youths charged in killing of Halifax teen set for fall

Trial dates have been set for four youths charged with second-degree murder in the killing of a Halifax teenager last month.

Lawyers for the four appeared in Nova Scotia's youth justice court Friday morning to confirm that the trial will begin on Sept. 23 and continue, off and on, until early November.

Crown prosecutor Terry Nickerson told court he estimates the trial will take three to four weeks.

Ahmad Al Marrach, 16, was stabbed in a parkade at the Halifax Shopping Centre early on the evening of April 22. He died later in hospital.

The four accused, two 16-year-old boys, a 14-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, were all arrested in the days immediately following the stabbing.

They've been held in custody ever since.

The three males have agreed to remain in custody for now.The girl will have a bail hearing on June 21.

The Crown is opposed to her release.

The four are under orders to have no contact with one another, which has led to one of the 16-year-old boys being held in an adult jail in Pictou County. The other three youths are in the youth correctional centre in Waterville, N.S.