One of the five people charged in the death of a Kitchener, Ont. man has pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to manslaughter. Jason John Brown was abducted from a cemetery in Harriston on March 12, 2019. He had allegedly gone there with a friend to pick something up. His body was found the following day at the side of Stevenson Road in Oshawa, almost 200 kilometres away. Five people are accused of playing a part in Brown’s death. Mathew Drummond of London was charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. Joshua Alexander Drumond of London and Steven Jon Walsom-Gerigs of Brantford were both charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping. Travis Willard Wand of Wellington North was charged with first-degree murder, two counts of assault with a weapon, kidnapping and other offences. Jessica Martin, a 35-year-old from North Perth, was also charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. New details in the case Martin pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of being an accessory after the fact to manslaughter at the Wellington County Courthouse on Thursday. An agreed statement of facts, which was read into the court record, said Brown had a “significant” drug habit and was a former prospect of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. The four men charged with his murder were also members or associates of the gang. Martin said she was in a relationship with Wand and, at the time of Brown’s death, was pregnant with twins. According to the agreed statement of facts, Brown was beaten with a baseball bat, tied up with duct tape and put into a vehicle. He died in the vehicle or upon arrival at the gang’s clubhouse in Toronto. Martin admitted to destroying two phones, one of which belonged to Brown. At the time, she said she was not aware of the murder. She also admitted to picking Wand up after he dumped the vehicle used in Brown’s death, as well as burning Wand’s bloody clothes. The Crown noted that what Martin did was a form of obstruction of justice, in a case that was already difficult because it involved members of a criminal subculture who were unwilling to speak to police. Court also heard victim impact statements from Brown’s children, mother and sisters. They still have questions about what happened the day Brown died. “It’s hard for us because, trying to put all the bits and pieces together, we still don’t know anything,” said his sister Tara Brown outside the courthouse. “It doesn’t really make sense to us.” Martin’s sentencing Martin has been in police custody since her arrest in November 2023. In deciding her sentence, Justice Cynthia Petersen accepted a joint submission from the Crown and defense for time already served. Brown’s sisters were upset with the sentence and Martin’s refusal to address the court when given the opportunity. “She didn’t even turn to say anything to us, like even sorry when she was asked,” said Tara Brown. “To me, she didn’t really acknowledge it. She didn’t show remorse at all.” For Jason Brown’s family, there is resolution. “There’s no closure,” Tara Brown insisted. “We don’t feel any closure. There’s nothing that will bring closure. Even the sentence isn’t closure.” Another guilty plea Another person accused in the case has already entered a guilty plea. Joshua Drumond was initially charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping. The Crown said he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter and was given an eight-year sentence.
