A young man accused of second-degree murder in the stabbing of a 17-year-old boy on a Surrey bus in 2023 is on trial in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster.

Kaiden Mintenko, 21, of Burnaby pleaded not guilty to the charge on Monday, at the outset of what's set to be a 15-day hearing with Justice Terry Schultes presiding.

The victim was stabbed in the chest while riding on a Route 503 bus in the 9900-block of King George Boulevard on April 11, 2023 and died in hospital. Schultes imposed publication bans on information that would identify the teen and two Crown witnesses and also ordered a temporary publication ban on the identity of a fourth person. 

Mintenko was arrested in Burnaby on April 16, 2023. It was Surrey's fifth homicide that year.

Prosecutor Elise Kohno laid out the Crown's theory on Monday morning and provided a list of witnesses.

"It is not in dispute that Mr. Mintenko was the individual who stabbed (the teen)," she told the court, "and it was the stabbing that caused (the teen's) death. The primary issue in this trial would be whether Mr. Mintenko had a specific intent for murder. As the court is aware, the Crown has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Mintenko intended to cause death or intended to cause bodily harm that he knew was likely to cause death and was reckless as to whether that ensued."

The Crown's case, she said, consists primarily of video evidence and viva voce evidence, a Latin term for testimony. "The police investigating this matter conducted an extensive CCTV canvass from various SkyTrain platforms," she said, "and in the neighbourhood surrounding the scene. The entirely of the offence 鈥� the stabbing 鈥� and some events leading up to the stabbing were caught on that CCTV footage."

Police have not found the knife.

Kohno told Schultes that Mintenko was with a girl who "appeared to confront" the victim at a bus stop prior to the stabbing. "The two appear to have exchanged some words," she said, before the victim turned around and walked away. She then returned to Mintenko, who was waiting in line. 

Kohno told the court Mintenko, when on the bus, punched the victim six times, causing him to fall, and then stabbed him. After Mintenko and the girl ran off the bus 鈥� she from the middle door and he out the front 鈥� the victim staggered to get up, "screams in pain and calls for help," collapsed to the ground "and a pool of blood begins to form around him." He was taken to hospital where he died that night.

Kohno said Mintenko was arrested on April 16 at his home in Burnaby and on the following day gave a statement to police. "In that statement he initially denied any involvement with (the victim's) death, saying he was at home on the evening (the victim) died," Kohno said. But later, she told the court, Mintenko confessed to the stabbing, telling police he believed the victim to be "someone who took photographs of young girls at the mall."

A Crown witness testified Tuesday that the girl Mintenko was with on the bus knew the victim and would "try to egg him on" whenever they crossed paths.

"She would spot us and then she would just start like yelling, you couldn't really understand what she was saying."

The witness, whose identity is shielded by the ban, said the victim "was like a brother to me." He said he saw the girl and the victim interact nine or 10 times. "They would start to argue a lot."

There was an incident where she threatened to mace the victim and himself in early 2022, the court heard. The witness said he was aware of rumours that the victim was a pedophile but told the court there was no truth to it and that he doesn't know who started them.

The court heard that the victim and witness exchanged text messages before he was stabbed. He walked him to the bus stop.

He said the victim texted him that the girl was there, talked to him and the bus was coming in a few minutes. The witness responded "Ok, what did she say?" The victim responded "bus is here...on the damn bus with me...bus is going should I stop somewhere??"

"And then I said what do you mean stop somewhere? KK I hear her yelling."

The witness asked him if he was going to wait for another bus. "The next bus that would come, the next 503."

"IDK (I don't know). I guess so."

"I said is she on the 503 with you?" He asked him if his mom would be meeting him down the line.

"?? Yo are you OK?"

Receiving no more messages, he contacted the victim's mom and through that found out what happened.

The trial continues.

Meantime, the victim's grieving mom said at a gathering in 2023 that she felt "like basically my whole being is gone, my soul is gone."

鈥淗e was the most gentle, kind, polite soul, he was so thoughtful, he paved the way for his brothers and sisters," he said of her son at the time. "He set such a good example of how to live life and how you should be, helping others and helping strangers."

Premier David Eby was among those who expressed outrage at the homicide and promised enhanced police patrols on public transit in its wake. TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn also vented about the crime during an unrelated presser in 2023.

鈥淚鈥檓 angry, we鈥檙e really angry, I鈥檓 very frustrated, I鈥檓 bothered by these events and as a parent of two transit-riding kids, every single day, I am concerned,鈥� Quinn said. 鈥淲e will not allow criminals or those who want to commit crimes to come onto our system.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檒l say as a father, I will say I was particularly shocked regarding the fatal stabbing of a teenager aboard one of our buses and our sincere condolences are with that young man鈥檚 family,鈥� he said.