Two grieving families embraced outside a Toronto courthouse after the man convicted of killing their loved ones at random on city streets was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Richard Edwin received the automatic sentence after being found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in the 2022 shootings of Kartik Vasudev and Elijah Mahepath.
Justice Jane Kelly rejected Edwin’s claim that he was not criminally responsible due to mental illness, ruling instead that the killings were carried out in a rational, organized and deliberate manner. The court heard that both attacks were unprovoked, public and targeted complete strangers, causing fear across the city.
Kartik Vasudev, a 21-year-old international student from India, had come to Canada to pursue his studies and build a better future. His parents told the court that Canada had been their son’s “dream country,” but he was killed only months after arriving, before he could achieve any of the goals he had worked so hard for.
His father described him as the heart of the family, while his mother said they had sacrificed greatly to send him abroad, only to lose him in a senseless act of violence. His younger brother said he continues to struggle with grief, sleepless nights and the loss of a protector and best friend.
Two days after Vasudev was killed, Elijah Mahepath was also shot and killed in downtown Toronto. Family members described him as compassionate, joyful and deeply caring, someone who had overcome hardship yet still dreamed of helping others.
His relatives spoke of his kindness and faith, recalling how he once gave money to a man who tried to rob him. They said that spirit of empathy defined who he was.
In one of the most emotional moments of the hearing, Mahepath’s brother addressed Edwin directly and urged him not to waste the rest of his life, saying there was still hope if he chose to change.
After sentencing, the two families met and embraced, united by a tragedy neither chose but both now carry. Emerging together from the courthouse, they said justice had finally been served.
For the parents of Kartik Vasudev, who travelled from India for the proceedings, the decision brought some measure of peace. They said it would never restore what was lost, but it offered long-awaited closure.