[2] Smith's identity and background were originally protected under Canada's Young Offenders Act at the time of his arrest.
According to court documents, he had suffered severe bullying throughout his school years, including having been doused with lighter fluid and threatened to be set alight when he was in the first grade.
[3] Smith's family stated that he "snapped" after watching coverage of the Columbine High School massacre, which had occurred eight days prior.
[4] In March 2005, Todd Cameron Smith was released into a halfway house in Toronto, despite the agreement of the judge that the then 20-year-old remained a threat to society.
"[7] His escape prompted Toronto police to obtain a court injunction allowing them to publicize his identity until such time as he was caught.
The waiver allowing the publication of his identity in Canada lapsed upon his recapture, though not before his name was published and released by several news outlets across the country.