Jason Wells (left) and Bradley Morrell leave the prisoner’s dock with sheriff’s officers after a recess is called in their murder trial at Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court in St. John’s Thursday, June 25, 2026.Article contentThree people have been found guilty of second-degree murder for the stabbing death of a man on a St. John’s street in 2024.Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court Justice Trina Simms delivered her decision Monday morning, Aug. 24, 2026, convicting Bradley Morrell, Jason Wells and Veronica Whalen of killing 31-year-old Dylan Jordan.The trio went to trial before judge alone in June, with the Crown calling about two dozen witnesses to testify and the defence teams calling no evidence.Jordan was killed on Golf Avenue, metres from St. Clare’s hospital, around 10:30 a.m. on July 31, 2024. He had abrasions on his head and face, defensive wounds on his hands and wrists, and two stab wounds on his back.One of those stabbings pierced his lung and aorta and likely killed him within seconds to minutes, the medical examiner who conducted his autopsy testified.Key evidence at trial was video — some captured by the hospital’s CCTV footage, some by neighbourhood residents — showing Jordan and another man pounding on the door of an apartment. A witness testified one of the men had yelled out to a person inside, “Get your shit together or I’ll kill you,” before the pair walked across the street.Morrell, Wells and Whalen exited the residence and an altercation ensued. A vehicle and a light pole blocked some movements but revealed several men fighting, two men going to the ground in a tussle, and a woman kicking Jordan in the head as he lay on the pavement.Witnesses described swinging and punching between the men, but none explicitly described a stabbing.Several St. Clare’s staff noticed the commotion and ran outside to offer first aid.Police seized several weapons from the scene and the residence, including three knives, a B.B. gun, a baton and a hammer.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentArticle content Dylan Jordan CONTRIBUTEDArticle contentArticle contentCROWN ARGUED ACCUSED INTENDED TO INFLICT SERIOUS HARMProsecutors Colin Sheppard and Olivia Bungay argued Morrell, Wells and Whalen could have stayed inside the residence’s deadbolted door if they felt threatened by Jordan and the other man, but had instead decided to go out in the street to address them.“Mr. Morrell decided to bring a large knife with him. Mr. Morrell decided to stab Mr. Jordan in the upper torso, driving the large knife in and up. In doing so, he intended to cause bodily harm to Mr. Jordan that was likely to cause his death,” Sheppard argued.“Mr. Morrell put his knife away while he watched Ms. Whalen kicking a defenceless Mr. Jordan in the torso and head. Mr. Wells, shortly after stabbing Mr. Jordan, went to Mr. Morrell to get him to leave. The beating was complete. They had inflicted grievous bodily harm on Mr. Jordan.”There was no evidence that Jordan had tried to enter the residence or that he had used any weapon, Sheppard said.Article content Jason Wells (left) and Bradley Morrell sit in the prisoner’s dock at Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court at the start of their murder trial, June 8, 2026.Article contentArticle contentDEFENCE ARGUED THEY ACTED IN SELF-DEFENCEArticle contentIn their closing arguments, defence lawyers argued Jordan was the aggressor and had brought the hammer to the fight, while Morrell, Wells and Whalen acted in response.“This entire conflict could have stopped at any time if Mr. Jordan had stopped advancing,” lawyer Mark Gruchy argued, representing Morrell. He said Morrell’s movements on the video didn’t match with the forensic evidence, and submitted Morrell should be acquitted on the basis of self-defence, if the court found he had stabbed Jordan at all.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentRepresenting Wells, Iain Hollett and Steven Orr submitted there was no evidence their client had used a weapon or had the intention to murder Jordan. They pointed to a section of the CCTV footage showing Wells first repositioning a garbage bin between himself and Jordan, and later taking the hammer from the street and placing it in the bin.Article contentArticle contentAt most, Hollett submitted, Wells could be guilty of a common assault.Article contentArticle content“The Crown wants us to gloss over what we can see with our eyes; to forget what’s there and accept what’s not,” Hollett argued.Article contentArticle contentArticle content Veronica Whalen is seen in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court during a break in her murder trial June 12, 2026.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentWhalen’s lawyers, Taylor Starrett and Andrew Vizsolyi, argued she had only left the apartment after seeing the altercation, to try and stop Jordan from injuring Morrell, and did not know he had been stabbed, since there was no visible blood at that point and he was still moving.Article contentArticle content“The law allows for intervention when the situation establishes a need to defend another person from harm. If someone is beating up your friend in the street after they’ve uttered that they’ll kill them, the law says it is not an unlawful act to go and try and stop it,” Vizsolyi argued.
Trio found guilty of murdering man near St. Clare’s hospital in 2024
