18-month sentence for Toronto subway attacker sheds light on his troubled past
CTV
The 23-year-old who slashed a complete stranger in the neck at St. George Station in Toronto last year has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, in a decision that sheds light on the young man’s troubled history.
The 23-year-old who slashed a complete stranger in the neck at St. George Station in Toronto last year has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, in a decision that sheds light on the young man’s troubled history.
In a ruling posted this month, Justice Brock Jones called Donta Easterbrook’s actions “an unprovoked, random attack on an innocent citizen,” and outlined Easterbrook’s crystal meth addiction and mental health problems that had not been treated successfully.
“Mr. Easterbrook’s assault on Mr. Greco was dangerous, violent and completely unjustified. It showed utter contempt for his life and safety. It could have resulted in serious injury,” the justice wrote.
“His actions have left every innocent member of the public to wonder if they would be safe when they next chose to enter a subway station.”
One night in April 2022, at around 11:20 p.m., 30-year-old Mario Greco was finishing a date with a woman when they were approached by a man at the station, Greco recalled in an interview with CTV News Toronto.
“He was looking disturbed, bobbing his head up and down,” Greco said. The man started to talk to his companion, and Greco engaged him to be ‘nice’ — then suddenly felt what he thought was a bee sting on his neck. He touched it and felt blood and realized he’d been attacked.
“I thought I was going to die. I was terrified,” Greco said. Pictures Greco shared showed the immediate aftermath: the inch-long wound needed three stitches and could have been much worse if it hit an artery.
