What’s to blame for the senseless killing of a 16-year-old at a subway station?

In today’s Big Story podcast, the murder of Gabriel Magalhaes at a Toronto subway station shocked the city and the country. His alleged killer, Jordan O’Brien-Tobin, had been released from custody shortly before the attack and had been in and out of jail for years. In the immediate aftermath, many treated the incident as proof that Canada needs harsher sentencing and bail reform. Others, including most notably the victim’s mother, say the incident is emblematic of a failure to provide adequate treatment to people experiencing mental health issues.

Jennifer Pagliaro is a crime reporter at the Toronto Star. She joined us to discuss what we know about the young victim in this case, and the extensive criminal history of the man who allegedly committed this senseless act of violence.

“There are a lot of red flags here that that experts say are incredibly common, but unfortunately the system, it seems, in Ontario, is not set up to help people like Jordan O’Brien-Tobin,” she said.

So why is Gabriel gone? What could have prevented this? What systemic changes could we make that might save the next young man?

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