Despite being best friends, The Crown’s theory is that in the hours before 29-year-old Jonathan Graham was set on fire, he and Bradley Joudrey were upset with each other after the victim punch the accused. The trial has heard the pair was supposed to meet at a convenience store parking lot at Trafalgar Street and Admiral Drive in the early morning hours of July 12, 2022. The Crown produced text messages that were extracted from a cellphone registered to Joudrey that were sent just seconds before the fire. At 2:06:39 a.m., the first text asked, “Where’d you go?” Then seconds later, “Call me.” At 2:08:02 a.m., “Watch you and your car.” And then seconds later, “Don’t be a b**** call me.” Finally, at 2:15:12 a.m., “Better be there.” The Crown has told the court that minutes after the two met, Graham was set on fire. Witness Shane Woolner testified that he was outside having a cigarette at the time when he her a commotion and rushed to the scene. He saw the victim and the burned clothes on the ground, saying, “I asked if he was okay and he said, ‘No.’ Someone had poured gasoline on him.” Minutes after that, London Police Const. Cassidy Wattie showed up, and testified that he did his best to preserve the scene for evidence because it started raining, “Some clothing on the grass was slightly smoking.” He added, “My main concern was the charred area and the piece of skin.” When retired London Police Forensic Officer Richard Terrio arrived at the fire scene to collect evidence, he testified, “I saw a Pepsi bottle … I smelled an accelerant and it smelled like gasoline to me.” Graham was rushed to hospital and was later pronounced dead from thermal injuries. The Crown says the 36-year-old Graham drove off from the scene, crashed his vehicle, and ran home where he was later arrested. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. The court was shown photos of Joudrey following his arrest which included injuries and abrasions to his face, neck, legs, and feet. The trial and the Crown’s case resume on Thursday.
