WARNING: This story contains graphic and disturbing details of violence.
Dallas Ly, the Toronto man found guilty of stabbing his mother to death and leaving her dismembered remains in garbage bags on an east end avenue, has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 13 years.
Judge Alfred O’Marra handed down the sentence Wednesday at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
O’Marra also recommended Ly receive a psychiatric assessment and be referred to programs to address his mental health while serving his prison sentence.
Ly, 23, admitted to stabbing his mother, Tien Ly, repeatedly in their Leslieville condo on March 27, 2022. Tien Ly, 46, was then decapitated, according to autopsy reports.
Dallas Ly testified during the trial that his mother would beat him and call him stupid and lazy. He testified she threatened to kill him and his aunt on the night of the stabbing, after he told her he planned to move out and live with his aunt.
Ly had testified it wasn’t his intention to kill his mother, but he lost it when she threatened him.
However, O’Marra told court his decision factored in that Tien Ly was unarmed when she was killed and was smaller than her son. The judge called it a “brutal and cruel” killing.
Tien Ly may have been abusive in the past, he said, but family also told the court she was affectionate and had given her son work and a place to live.
O’Marra said while Dallas Ly has said he’s remorseful for the damage done to his family, he hasn’t, at this point, expressed regret for killing his mother.
O’Marra noted Dallas Ly still has support from family and friends, which should help when he’s eligible for parole. His aunt briefly spoke to him in court before he was led away in handcuffs.