Toronto’s 2005 Boxing Day gunman faces first-degree murder charge in Montreal

MONTREAL — Jeremiah Valentine, who went to prison for taking part in the 2005 Boxing Day shootout in Toronto that killed a 15-year-old girl, has been charged with murder in Montreal.

The 43-year-old faces one count of first-degree murder in the killing of Abdeck Kenedith Ibrahim, 33, who was gunned down in a downtown Montreal square around 12:45 a.m. Tuesday.

Valentine was among several people convicted in the 2005 shootout in downtown Toronto between rival gangs that killed 15-year-old Jane Creba and injured six others. Creba was shopping with her mother and sister on Yonge Street, traditionally one of Toronto’s busiest strips for Boxing Day bargain hunters, when she was caught in the crossfire.

The Crown said forensics had determined it was ”very likely” he fired the bullet that killed the Grade 10 student, but admitted those tests were not definitive and that the bullet could have come from two other weapons.

In 2009, Valentine pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was given a life sentence with no chance of parole for 12 years for a crime that became a flashpoint for the city’s anger over a rise in gun-related killings. Valentine would have had to wait much longer than 12 years for parole eligibility if he hadn’t pleaded guilty, Ontario Superior Court Justice John McMahon said at the time.

The Crown says the Montreal case was put off until Oct. 23, following a brief hearing at the city’s courthouse on Thursday. According to the charging document, Valentine was living in downtown Montreal.

The Parole Board of Canada did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday, and the prosecutor’s office declined to comment further.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2025.

The Canadian Press