"We are very unhappy," said Zenia Anthony, 60, grandmother of Matthew Anthony, whose body was found on June 26, 2006 in a section of Mimico Creek that passes through Malton Greenway Park. "I don't think justice has been served here. These violent crimes will only continue with these types of sentences."
Anthony, a former Lincoln Alexander Secondary School student, was found face down in the water behind an apartment/townhouse complex at 7555 Goreway Dr., near Brandon Gate Dr.
In the days following the grisly discovery, Peel Regional Police arrested a 17-year-old boy, whose identity can't be revealed under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Homicide detectives charged him with second-degree murder. Last July, he was convicted of the lesser offence of manslaughter and received a three-year sentence.
However, the sentencing judge gave him credit for time served in pre-trial custody. As a result, he was released earlier this year.
Police say there had been a simmering dispute between Anthony and his killer that led to a confrontation near the creek, where Anthony was stabbed.
Prior to his death, Anthony had found a job and was preparing to go back to high school for his diploma, his grandmother said.
"He wanted to be a good role model for his little sister," she said.
The victim's uncle, Al Anthony, told The News last year that when his nephew became involved with friends that his mother and other family members considered potentially dangerous, they tried to talk to him about making better choices in life.
"He never went looking for trouble, but trouble seemed to find him from time to time," Al Anthony, who died of cancer two months ago, told The News last year. "He got into some trouble with the law, but things were starting to look up."
Matthew Anthony, who was known to police, lived with family in Malton. He used to play soccer and rap for the younger children in the area, according to family friend Charlotte Vassel.
He also liked to deejay, she said.
lrosella@mississauga.net
