Disturbing details emerged on Monday at the start of a murder trial at the London Courthouse. In her opening address, Crown Attorney Sarah Dow told the court that Jonathan Graham, 29, and Bradley Joudrey, now 36, were like brothers growing up together from a young age. However she said that friendship all ended on July 12, 2022 when Graham was doused with gasoline and set on fire. She said the pair had an altercation and that Joudrey left to siphon gas into a pop bottle. Later that night outside a convenience store near Trafalgar Street and Admiral Drive, “Joudrey poured gasoline on Jon while he was sitting in the driver’s seat of his car.” “He (Joudrey) remained at the scene watching Jon in flames until a person stopped in his car,” she continued. Before wrapping up the opening address the Crown said, “Joudrey committed the murder because he was angry with Jon for punching him earlier in the night.” The court heard Graham died in the hospital days later from thermal injuries. Joudrey would be arrested and has pled not guilty to first degree murder. The first witness to testify in this case was the man who came upon the scene seconds after the flames erupted. An emotional Philip Oskirko told the court he was driving to the house of a friend in the east end when, “I just noticed a fire and then I got out of my truck and noticed that fireball is a human...covered head to toe.” “The guy started dropping and rolling and I grabbed my sweater and tried to help him. He had no clothes on,” said Oskirko. He said he then saw a grey or silver Dodge SUV speed away, “It took off pretty quick.” The witness called 911 and stayed with Graham, “You could see his health deteriorating and his speech deteriorating at a fast rate... and barely even conscious.” Later, paramedic Michael Brock testified about responding to the scene, “We noticed he (Graham) was covered in very deep burns mostly front and back...full thickness burns.” He went on, “I asked him what happened? And he responded, ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’” But eventually, “He said someone had doused him with gasoline and set him on fire.” The trial is slated to last four weeks.
