Murder trial begins for nephew and uncle charged in Toronto’s Woodbine Beach shooting

The trial has begun for his nephew and uncle who are jointly charged with second-degree murder of a 21-year-old man shot to death near Woodbine Beach two years ago.

In opening speeches at the trial of Ricardo Willis and his uncle Kenneth Neil, assistant Crown attorneys Ovais Ahmad and Liz Jackson told the jury that Dacia Mbongo was out for dinner with his girlfriend Lukiara Hunter-Wilmot at the Keg Mansion in downtown Toronto and spontaneously went to Woodbine Beach after dinner.

“As their journey ended near Woodbine Beach, Lukiara Hunter-Wilmot had ordered the Uber ride to leave the area. Moments later, two masked men approached Dacia Mbongo. Lukiara Hunter-Wilmot left the area in an Uber around the same time when one of the two men fired 11 shots from a handgun at Dacia Mbongo as she tried to escape. She was shot in the back and died on a small road north of the beach,” Ahmad said.

The Crown alleges Willis and Neil were the two men who accosted Mbongo and killed him in a laneway.

Ahmad told the jury that Mbongo and his girlfriend were not alone that night. The Crown said that surveillance footage would show the occupants of a white 2012 Honda Civic of interest in their movements that night and that Neil was the registered owner of the white 2012 Honda Civic seen traveling towards Toronto on the night of the murder.

Ahmad said the investigation into Mbongo’s murder revealed there had been significant phone calls between Hunter-Wilmot’s number and Willis’ number in the lead up to the night of the murder, but said “interestingly” there had been no contact at all between their phone numbers for a month immediately after the murder.

The Crown said phone records also revealed a close relationship between Willis and Neil, suggesting they were in close proximity on the night of the murder.

Ahmad said the police executed a search warrant at Neil’s residence and his Honda Civic in early January 2025.

“When police searched the vehicle, they found a loaded gun hidden under the front passenger seat. I think you will hear that the bullets fired at Mbongo’s Dacia were fired from a gun found in Kenneth Neil’s car,” Ahmad said. The Crown said Neil’s DNA was also found on the gun itself.

Hunter-Wilmot, who was 18 at the time, testified that she was in a long-distance relationship with Mbongo and made plans to meet him for dinner that night.

She called it a casual dating relationship and said when she and Mbongo were together, they also talked to other people.

Hunter-Wilmot said she first met Willis in high school and then began talking to him regularly after meeting him at a barbecue in July 2024. She testified that she and Willis would sit on the phone and talk for hours.

At the same time, he testified that he texted Mbongo every day but he was between Montreal and New York.

Hunter-Wilmot said before going on a date with Mbongo, the two talked about whether or not they would get along, and whether he would wear the black Cartier watch he had just gotten in New York.

He testified that he knew the watch had value and was from a luxury brand and said Mbongo had sent him pictures and videos of the watch.

Jackson asked Hunter-Wilmot if he shared pictures of the watch with anyone. He denied that he had. When the Crown asked why he asked Mbongo if he would be wearing the watch that night, he said it was because he kept talking about the watch “over and over again.”

Jackson asked if he had communicated with Willis that night and said although he shared his location on several platforms on his phone, he wasn’t sure if it was activated.

Hunter-Wilmot said after dinner, while she and Mbongo were walking on Woodbine Beach, they got into an argument after seeing a notification from her ex-boyfriend on his phone.

He said he was angry but didn’t know who it was.

“We started arguing. He told me to call an Uber to the house,” Hunter-Wilmot said.

His girlfriend said while they were arguing in the eastbound lane of Lake Shore Boulevard East, three people ran toward them. He testified that he didn’t know who they were, only describing them as wearing all black and ski masks.

“They just ran at us,” Hunter-Wilmot said, explaining that she was in fight or flight mode when she encountered the Uber.

Jackson asked what happened to Mbongo.

“I saw me scrambling and I ran. His clothes were being pulled,” he said.

Hunter-Wilmot denied seeing a gun, saying it was dark.

The girlfriend said she was shocked and panicked and did not call police. He said on the way to his mother’s house in Scarborough, he added a stop to his Uber and picked up a friend.

He also denied hearing the gunshots and said he did not hear that Mbongo had been killed until the following morning.

“And did you call the police at that time?” Jackson said. Hunter-Wilmot said he didn’t.

He also said the next time he spoke to Willis wasn’t until October.

“I’m self-isolating. I’m traumatized. My boyfriend just died,” said Hunter-Wilmot.

He testified the next time he saw Willis was in October when they went to Canada’s Wonderland for a Halloween Haunt.

“We went with Kenneth and his girlfriend,” said Hunter-Wilmot, who added that she had seen him before and was older. Neil was 26 years old at that time. Hunter-Wilmot said that night, she learned he was Willis’ uncle.

Hunter-Wilmot said after a night out in Canada’s Wonderland, she and Willis started officially dating, calling it a romantic relationship. He said the two dated until shortly after Christmas 2024.

“The relationship didn’t work out. We weren’t supposed to work out,” he said.

Jackson asked Hunter-Wilmot about her January 2025 arrest.

“Are you home?” he asked.

Hunter-Wilmot said she was in Willis’ room and testified that she had not seen him since.

“I know you are having a baby in September 2025. Who is the father?” Jackson asked.

“Ricardo Willis,” answered Hunter-Wilmot.

“Since giving birth to the baby, have you ever had sex?” Jackson asked.

“No, we’re not allowed to have contact. We can’t see each other. It’s the first time literally,” Hunter-Wilmot answered.

“But from what I understand, your relationship ended in December?” Jackson asked.

“Yes,” said Hunter-Wilmot.

Willis and Neil have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. The trial continues