The man who shot and killed a 15-year-old girl in 2021 was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years. In March, a jury at the Montreal courthouse found Salim Touaibi guilty of one count of first-degree murder and four counts of attempted murder in an incident that left Meriem Boundaoui dead and several others injured. On Thursday, Justice Yvan Poulin read a long list of crimes the 30-year-old man was charged with before the Feb. 7, 2021, shooting in the borough of Saint-Leonard. Most of those crimes involved weapons. In his decision, Poulin also repeatedly recognized the victim’s family, pointing to their strength and courage, mentioning their daily pain, broken dreams and the void left in their lives after losing a young girl whose whole life should have been ahead of her. He also spoke about another victim, whose name is protected by a publication ban, who was shot in the back and left with severe physical consequences. That person, an athlete before the shooting, now suffers from chronic pain and is unable to play sports. They also suffer from anxiety and academic troubles and have sought mental health help. That victim held Boundaoui as she lay bleeding after being shot. Poulin spoke of aggravating factors in sentencing Touaibi, including his criminal records, the number of victims, the fact that the shooting happened in an urban environment and that he shot so many times that he emptied his clip. In addition, Touaibi was on parole at the time. The court did not believe the accused’s testimony that he took responsibility for being a killer. Although he said he didn’t mean to kill Boundaoui, he admitted that he did intend to kill on that day as he opened fire on people he believed were responsible for beating up his friend. As a result, the judge handed down the maximum penalty for the murder. He also handed down four sentences for attempted murder, which will be served concurrently. Touaibi’s co-accused, Aymane Bouadi, was acquitted of all charges.
