Abiram Subramaniam guilty of 2nd-degree murder of Joshua Williams

A jury has foundAbiramSubramaniamguilty of second-degree murder for the stabbing death of 18-year-old Joshua Williams in 2011.

The jury of six men and four women deliberated for a day and a halfbefore handing down their verdict Friday.

Subramaniam, 23, was also found guilty of robbingClinton Sathiyaseelan, a friend of Williams,who was present when Williams was killed.

The jury has recommended Subramaniam serve the minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, however Superior Court Justice Marc-Andr Blanchard is not bound by that recommendation.

Blanchard is to hear sentencing arguments on Feb. 10.

Subramaniam was accused of killing Williams, a Liberal Arts student at Dawson College, in the parking lot of Cte-des-NeigesPlaza.

Williams was stabbed six times after he stepped in to help his friend Sathiyaseelan, afterSubramaniamstole hisring.

Elaborate sting

Subramaniam confessed to the murder on tape, but the confession was made using a controversial "Mr. Big" sting.

An undercover officer pretending to be a member of a fictitious crime ring developed a friendship with Subramaniam over several months and introduced him to an RCMPundercover agent posing as a crime boss.

Police resorted to this tactic because Sathiyaseelanrefused to collaborate with them.

The jury heard how theRCMP undercover agent brought in by Montreal police to help set up the "Mr. Big" sting paid Subramaniam$18,000 over three months, flew him to B.C. and put him up in hotels all part of an elaborate strategy to extract a confession.

In 2014, the Supreme Court of Canada upheld a lowercourt rulingin Newfoundlandthat placedstricter rules on such police stings.

Grounds for appeal?

Subramaniam'sdefence lawyer, AlexandraLongueville, said she will consult with her client to decide whether there are any serious grounds to appeal.

"The Supreme Court has decided that [a 'Mr. Big' sting] would be admissible under certain circumstances," she said. "What we have to verify is ifJustice Blanchard took into account every criteria and anything that he had to take into consideration."

She said the age of the suspect, who was just 19 at the time of the murder, and thefinancial inducements used as part of the strategy to elicit a confession are among the factors that must be considered.

'False alibi'

In the final days of the trial, Subramaniamtestified he had an alibi that he had not been present at the time of Williams'stabbing because he had to rush away to return his car to his mother so that she could go to church.

Crown prosecutor Louis Bouthillier said he was "obviously very satisfied that the jury saw through that false alibi that was raised at the last minute by the accused."

Victim's mother 'numb' but relieved

Williams' mother, Jeannine James, sat through every day of the lengthy trial, including days of court proceedings from which the jury was excluded.

Weeping with relief at the verdict, James said she was simply numb after waiting so long for the trial to conclude.

She has described her son Joshua as "a bright kid, a good guy, a bit of a risk-taker, but fearless." She said he had a strong sense of fair play, and it was in his character to act the "Good Samaritan" and step in to help a friend.

"I am pleased," she told reporters outside the courtroom after Friday's verdict.

"I think the accused did what he was alleged to have done, and I think there must be consequences...It was fair."