A 20-year-old man and 12-year-old boy have been charged with second-degree murder after a man died in one of five “violent” robberies in the city’s downtown core, Toronto police said.

A 62-year-old homeless man was sleeping on a bench in Nathan Phillips Square , near Bay and Queen streets , after 6 a.m. on Aug. 31 when he was approached by two people.

The pair began “violently beating” the man with a hammer, unprovoked, and then fled the area, police said.

The victim was taken to hospital with serious injuries but was then released. Days later, he was found outside without vital signs. First responders attempted life-saving measures but he was declared dead at the scene. Investigators determined that his cause of death was related to the attack.

The two suspects have been charged

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