A man who shot and killed 17-year-old Anthony Acquaviva on a Markham street four years ago has been sentenced to life in prison, with no chance of parole for 17 years.

Isaiah Goodman, now 24 and of no fixed address, was convicted of second-degree murder after a trial by judge alone, yorkregion.com reported on Feb. 27. Justice Jocelyn Speyer rejected his claim that he fired in self-defence.

What the court heard

Acquaviva was shot on the evening of Feb. 1, 2022, near Purple Finch Road and Littleleaf Crescent, where his sister had driven him. According to the Crown, the teen had begun selling cannabis products to other students at Markham District High School and was expecting a sale. The Crown alleged that Goodman, who arrived in a car with others, planned a robbery.

The judge accepted the sister's account. She told the court that Goodman patted her brother's front pocket and that she saw a gun in Goodman's own pocket. She said Goodman opened fire as her brother backed away with his hands up. Surveillance video from the neighbourhood showed Goodman fire four times and run, according to court documents, and the court heard he came back and fired again when he saw the teen was still alive.

Police found $7,000 in cash in Goodman's car, along with a phone holding a video of him pointing the gun about an hour before the shooting. The court also heard the killing happened hours after Goodman had pleaded guilty in another case and been placed on probation.

Anthony was a funny, kind, caring and hard-working young man whose potential was limitless.

— Justice Jocelyn Speyer

The sentence

The judge noted that Goodman, who was 20 at the time, had a troubled background. He moved 20 times between the ages of eight and 21 and attended 13 schools, and he was found to have breached the conditions of his recognizance seven times. She said Acquaviva showed no aggression toward him, and that the bravado of carrying a gun appeared to have led Goodman to shoot, and to make sure the teen died.

Along with the life sentence, Goodman is subject to a DNA order and is barred from contacting Acquaviva's family.

Charges against others

A second-degree murder charge against a young person who was with Goodman that night was withdrawn. Two men who were also charged with second-degree murder had their cases dismissed at the preliminary hearing stage in 2023.