# A Murder In Pickering - Link: https://brianejohns.com/2025/06/04/a-murder-in-pickering/ - Published: 2025-06-04T15:45:00-04:00 - Author: Brian Johns ## When I arrived at the ABS Training Centre (located in Pickering) last Thursday night to teach my weekly class, the door was locked. I was not surprised. You see, just before I left the house, I received an alert on my iPhone from the Durham Region Police advising folks in the area to shelter in place due to a fatal stabbing attack on an 83-year-old woman. I decided to leave for class. ![](https://i0.wp.com/brianejohns.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/6838fb1d997ec.webp? resize=1024%2C491&ssl=1) One of the gymnasts’ mothers unlocked the door to let me know, and was somewhat embarrassed about locking it. “_There’s a situation here in Pickering_.” I replied, “_No worries; you are practicing practical self-defence!_“ ## What Happened? > > Investigators with Durham Regional Police Service have identified the woman > > killed in a random attack in Pickering last week as 83-year-old Eleanor Doney. > > > > Doney was reportedly gardening in the front yard of her home, located in the > > Fairport Road and Lynn Heights Drive area, on May 29, when the suspect, a 14- > > year-old boy dressed in a long, black trench coat to his ankles, allegedly approached > > and randomly began stabbing her in broad daylight. > > [https://toronto.citynews.ca/2025/06/03/pickering-random-attack-police-identify-victim/](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2025/06/03/pickering-random-attack-police-identify-victim/) Various other articles, more or less, repeat the same account. Apparently, the random attack was captured on video, presumably from a residence’s Ring camera and has been seized as evidence by the police. The identity of the 14-year-old has been doxxed on social media. There are videos of him walking to and from the murder scene. He was dressed in a long, shiny trench coat, wearing a mask, and shoes that looked too large for his feet. In addition, he was carrying a briefcase. Based on his appearance and the randomness of the attack, I assume that he has some mental health issues. We will not know for quite some time due to court order publication bans in Canada. ## Randomness It appears that there was no pre-existing relationship between the accused murderer and the victim. Based on the current accounts, it seems to be a completely random attack. This is reminiscent of the [infamous swarming attack in downtown Toronto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Ken_Lee) in December 2022. Eight teenage girls were charged with the murder of a homeless man with whom they had no prior connection. As with the Pickering murder, this was a random, violent attack on an unfortunate victim. ## Self Defence Aspect As one who teaches self-defence/martial arts, I’d like to know more about how the incident unfolded. Were any words exchanged? Did the attacker act in a way to lower the woman’s defences? Was it a sudden, violent attack? My wife and I discussed the doxxed images and videos on social media to play out potential reactions to a person walking down our street. I could find only one article( to date) containing a screenshot of the kid walking down the street. See [here](https://www.cp24.com/local/durham/2025/05/31/video-footage-appears-to-show-person-matching-description-of-teen-suspect-in-deadly-pickering-stabbing/). We agreed that if we saw someone with a similar appearance walking on our street, we would take precautions, including retreating into our house and calling the police. I seriously doubt that we will ever see the video of the incident itself. We can only guess. That leaves one last question. ## Why? From the outside looking in and with little knowledge of the case, I wonder if one or a combination of the following reasons explains what happened last week. * The accused murderer would have been 9 years old during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Did that have any effect on him? * Based on his physical appearance, does he have a history of mental health problems? * What kind of family environment did he grow up in? I noted in a [post from January 2024](https://brianejohns.com/2024/01/17/the-present-and-future-rage-wave/): “_A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a school teacher who will be retiring this year. She teaches the younger grades. I don’t want to reveal too much about her to protect her identity. During our conversation, I asked her about the challenges of teaching online during the pandemic lockdowns. She admitted that teaching online and keeping kids motivated was pretty challenging._ _I then asked her about the potential long-term effects of the pandemic on students in general. She responded. “One-third of students will be fine. They never fell behind and were able to stay the course. Another one-third of the students fell behind but are catching up_.” _The last one-third? “They are so far behind academically and socially that they will never catch up.”_ _Let me say that this teacher is not prone to hyperbole or exaggeration. I find this statement to be credible. Further, word has gotten back to this teacher about older students acting out in various ways against their teachers._ _One wonders about the future of the one-third that has fallen behind academically and socially. What does it mean for society in general? Will crime rates rise? Will there be a rage wave coming in the future? I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s coming. In some respects, it’s already here, as discussed below._“ We shall find out, in due time, what prompted the accused murderer to engage in this senseless, violent attack. I suspect either mental illness or some deleterious side effect from the COVID-19 lockdowns, or a combination of both. Due to legal publication bans, the details of this case may take a while to emerge. It sometimes takes up to a couple of years before reporters are permitted to discuss the details of a case, particularly one involving underage children. ## Do you have any thoughts about this case? ## Other stuff I’ve written * [Rust and WD-40!](https://brianejohns.com/2021/07/16/blog-rust-and-wd-40/) * [Why I Avoid FMA Discussion Forums](https://brianejohns.com/2023/10/04/why-i-avoid-fma-discussion-forums/) * [Defending Against Angle 12](https://brianejohns.com/2015/08/03/blog-defending-against-angle-12/) * [Randomly Breaking The Rhythm](https://brianejohns.com/2022/10/05/blog-breaking-the-rhythm/) * [The Present and Future Rage Wave](https://brianejohns.com/2024/01/17/the-present-and-future-rage-wave/) ![](https://i0.wp.com/brianejohns.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Blog-Supporters- Thank-You.png?resize=940%2C788&ssl=1) Before you venture into the wild jungle of the Internet, might I persuade you to buy me a cup of coffee? ☕️ ## I need your help in defraying the increasing expenses of the blog. 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