Guilty pleas from three men behind Adam Jones shooting

Adam Jones (right) is seen in this photo provided by his family.

The three men accused in the shooting death of Adam Jones avoided a trial Thursday by pleading guilty to murder and manslaughter offences.

Court documents show that the shooting was precipitated by a dispute over six grams of marijuana.

Kadeem Gabriel admitted in court to firing the shot to the head that killed Jones, outside the 25-year-old’s apartment on Belmont Avenue in Kitchener.

He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, while Jerome Phillips and Tyrone Wint pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

All three were to be tried for first-degree murder beginning in January.

Jones and Wint, court heard Thursday, were both low-level drug dealers.

A mutual friend brokered a deal between them for half a pound of marijuana – only for the friend to withhold payment from Wint, believing he had provided six grams less than the agreed amount.

From there, tensions rose between the two camps.

On the morning of the shooting, Wint made arrangements with Jones to buy half a pound of marijuana – a deal which he never expected to take place.

That afternoon, Wint met with Phillips and Gabriel. They agreed that Gabriel would pull out the gun, believing that alone would be enough to scare Jones into handing over the drugs.

Instead, Jones reached back. Gabriel, interpreting that action as an attempt to grab the gun, pulled the trigger.

Families of all four men were present in a Kitchener court for Thursday’s plea, fostering a tense atmosphere in the courtroom.

Still, Lindsay Weber – Jones’ sister – called Thursday’s events “the best resolution” possible for her family.

“I think a trial would have been a very painful process for us,” she said.

Gabriel’s conviction for second-degree murder comes with an automatic life sentence, although his parole eligibility remains up to a judge.

Sentencing for Wint and Phillips is expected to take place in January.