Remembering Hamilton teen Devan Selvey, 3 years after his murder

The family of Devan Selvey, who was murdered outside of his high school, held an annual celebration to honor his life in Burlington today.

This is the first year Devan’s family is holding the event since his killer was sentenced earlier this year.

Friends and family gathered at Hidden Valley Park in Burlington to remember Devan who was murdered on this day three years ago. His mother Shari-Ann Selvey says they gather at this park every year because Devan loved the trail.

“He was one of those rare souls that the world definitely needs more of, very kind-hearted and compassionate. Always it didn’t matter if you were an animal or a person he would always try to help you,” Shari-Ann said.

14-year-old Devan was stabbed in the back outside Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School in October 2019. His killer who was also 14 at the time took off. The two didn’t know each other. According to his loved ones, Devan was bullied in school.

Earlier this year the teen who killed him was sentenced to seven years but Devan’s family says that isn’t enough.

Devan’s mom says there’s been a lot of changes throughout the school board and there’s always room for improvement but she says it also comes down to parenting and putting kids first to prevent this from happening to others in the future.