A 19-year-old woman is facing up to six months in jail after admitting in court Friday that she hurled a patio chair from the 45th-floor balcony of a downtown Toronto condo tower earlier this year.Marcella Zoia pleaded guilty to one count of mischief endangering life for the Feb. 9 incident that was filmed and widely distributed in a viral video online, sparking public outrage.Crown attorney Heather Keating told Ontario Court Justice Mara Greene the prosecution will be seeking a six-month jail sentence for the offence, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 14.Zoia´s lawyer, Greg Leslie, said outside the Old City Hall courthouse that a non-custodial sentence with probation is a more appropriate punishment, given his client´s age and prospects for rehabilitation.`When you deal with somebody so young, in my opinion ... the brain´s not fully developed, she´s was still a young lady at that time. She made a mistake, I think jail is far excessive and we´ll be asking for a suspended sentence.`Asked if he thought the Crown was seeking jail time because of Zoia´s continued `social media presence,` since her arrest last winter, Leslie said, `it´s a possibility.` But the case´s extensive media coverage could have influenced prosecution´s position, Leslie said, noting that the charge is very serious.As he has always maintained, Leslie said `peer pressure` from others with Zoia that morning prompted her reckless action.Dressed in head-to-toe black, Zoia bolted from the courthouse into a waiting SUV without speaking to reporters following the hearing. Leslie said she is suffering from a `lot of anxiety` knowing she could be going to jail.In court, Keating read a relatively short synopsis of what happened last winter and played the infamous 10-second video recorded that Saturday around 10 a.m. Zoia responded `yes` when the judge asked her if she was the person on the balcony seen smiling and launching the chair over the ...
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