At the sentencing hearing for a 16-year-old boy who pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of tow-truck driver Sulakshan Sevasingam in an alleged murder-for-hire plot, a chilling cellphone video was played in court Wednesday that captured an unknown caller allegedly giving directions to a group of teens.

Assistant Crown prosecutor Sharna Reid told the court that the video was recorded on July 5, 2024, inside a motor vehicle, one day before the execution-style killing of Sevasingam in the parking lot of a Shell gas station on Warden Avenue near Ellesmere Road.

According to an agreed statement of facts, the 16-year-old and two other teens, aged 15 and 16, spent several hours driving through the Kennedy Commons area in a stolen black Acura with stolen licence plates while looking for Sevasingam on July 5.

The facts read into the record state that “influential adults” connected to the towing industry recruited the teen to commit the offence. The statement alleges those adults had access to firearms and were prepared to engage in retaliatory violence within the industry. The adults have not been arrested. According to the agreed facts, they used young people, including the 16-year-old, by offering him money to carry out the killing.

In the cellphone video, recorded by the teen seated in the back of the vehicle, a hand holding a firearm and $100 bills can be seen waving near the rear passenger window while voices are heard in the background.

Reid told the court that the accused, who can only be identified by his initials, A.P., under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was in the driver’s seat. The 15-year-old was in the front passenger seat and the second 16-year-old was seated in the back.

Reid said the recording begins with a conversation already underway before a phone begins ringing.

“A.P. answers the phone and says, ‘Yo,’” Reid said. “An unknown male caller responds, but it is inaudible. A.P. then says, ‘Yeah, I have been driving and I’m so sick of it.’ The unknown caller says, ‘You see anybody that looks like him?’ and A.P. says, ‘No.’”

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The Crown said A.P. can then be heard asking the caller, “Don’t you have his addy?” meaning address, to which the caller replies no.

Reid said that while much of the audio is difficult to hear, some portions are clear. “It’s the Crown’s position that the unknown male caller says, ‘Give it to him right away, bro, don’t wait … If anything, aim for the body first and then you go to his head. That way you don’t miss aiming for the head.’”

According to Reid, the caller also instructs the teens to “get that video” before promising “a nice bonus.”

The Crown said the teen in the front passenger seat can be heard replying, “You’re dark, you’re a dark guy. This is not GTA, fam.” Reid explained that GTA refers to the video game Grand Theft Auto.

The conversation continues with A.P. telling the caller: “Okay. I’ll try my best to get a video.” After the caller responds, “Make it happen,” A.P. asks about payment, saying: “How much we talking? It better be more than I make off every single thing. I need to make at least double.”

According to Reid, the caller replies: “You need more jobs. Just show me this is done and I will give you more serious characters. Just make sure this one’s solid.”

According to the agreed facts, at about 10:39 p.m. on July 5, A.P. and his two co-accused, driving a stolen black Acura, fired multiple shots at a black tow truck parked at a Shell gas station on Don Mills Road. The teen in the passenger seat recorded the shooting.

That video was also played in court Wednesday, along with footage related to 10 other shootings targeting cinemas, auto body shops, a tow yard, a jewellery store, a cannabis dispensary and a restaurant between May and July 2024.

A.P. pleaded guilty to 13 counts of reckless discharge of a firearm in relation to those incidents.

The 15-year-old pleaded guilty to eight counts of reckless discharge of a firearm, while the second 16-year-old pleaded guilty to 10 counts.

On July 6, 2024, the three youths drove through the same area using two stolen vehicles. Shortly after 8:30 p.m., the group split up. A.P. and the 15-year-old later drove to the Shell gas station on Warden Avenue, arriving at about 9:55 p.m.

The agreed facts state that at 10:15 p.m., Sevasingam pulled into a parking spot beside the white Honda Civic occupied by A.P. and the 15-year-old. Within seconds and without provocation, he was shot nine times.

During the shooting, a passenger in Sevasingam’s vehicle, who was crouched in the front passenger footwell, was not physically injured.

The 15-year-old did not fire any shots but later helped A.P. avoid detection, according to the agreed facts. The pair fled to Uxbridge, where they met the third teen. The group removed the licence plates from the Civic, discarded them in a sewage drain and then set the vehicle on fire.

The two teens who assisted A.P. afterward pleaded guilty to being accessories after the fact to discharging a firearm.

The tow-truck driver who survived the July 5 shooting said in a victim impact statement that his life has not returned to normal.

“Before this happened, I was working as a tow-truck driver and making an honest living,” he wrote. “After the shooting, that changed. Since then, I have struggled with anxiety and constantly feel the need to be alert to what is happening around me.”

He said his sense of security has been permanently altered and that he fears becoming a target again.

Victim impact statements from Sevasingam’s mother and sister described the devastating impact of the 28-year-old’s death.

His sister, Krishiga Sevasingam, said her brother’s life revolved around caring for his family.

“He always cared for those in need and he was honestly my role model,” she said through tears.

The sentencing hearing is scheduled to continue in October. The Crown and defence have indicated they will jointly seek the maximum youth sentence for first-degree murder: 10 years, including six years in custody and four years under community supervision.

The only issue still in dispute is how much credit A.P. should receive for time already spent in pre-sentence custody.