'Beloved' nurse hurt in 2018 Toronto van attack dies of injuries 3 years later

A 65-year-old woman who suffered severe injuries in Toronto's deadly van attack has died after spending more than three years in hospital, police announced Thursday.

Police said in a news releasethat Amaresh Tesfamariamof Toronto had beenin hospital since the attack on April 23, 2018, and died on Oct. 28 of the injuries she suffered.

Tesfamariam was one of 14 people struck whenAlek Minassiandrove a rented vandown a sidewalkon Yonge Street, near Finch Avenue, that day. Her death raises the number of people who diedto 11.

Tesfamariam worked as a registered practical nurse at Fudger House, a long-term care facility operated by the city.

CUPE Local 79 tweeted thatTesfamariam was "beloved" by colleagues and residents there.

"You hear about these kind of attacks that happen on the news at the time. When you're in the situation ... it's just very sobering," hernephew,HabenTesfamariam,told CBC News days after the attack.

He described his aunt as a loving person who had dedicated her life to nursing and helping others.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy foundMinassian, who was 25at the time of the attack, guilty on 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16counts of attempted murder.Minassian is next scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 11, 2022 to possibly set a date for sentencing.

Toronto police say Tesfamariam's death is now considered a homicide, but Minassian will not face another murder charge.

Police spokesperson Const. David Hopkinson said the charge can't be upgraded to first-degree murder because too much time has elapsed since she was injured.

"It is my understanding that a new charge will not be laid," Hopkinson said. "But the judge will consider that there is a new victim in sentencing."