Adam Mann, 42, told the New Westminster Supreme Court jury Monday that he did not stab Tori Dunn during a June 16, 2024 Surrey home invasion.
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An Ontario man charged with second-degree murder denied on Monday that he stabbed Tori Dunn during a Surrey, B.C., home invasion, telling the court, “It wasn’t me.”
Adam Mann, 42, testified at his trial in New Westminster Supreme Court that, in June 2024, he was poor and homeless and said he stole and used welfare cheques to pay for drugs and alcohol, which he used every day.
Mann told the jury that on June 16 he was riding a bus to meet a friend at Scott Road Station in Surrey when he got into “a fight with some random guy” on board after he believed the person took his bag. Mann said he threw a couple of punches and got off the bus because he was afraid someone would call the police.
He said he used crack cocaine after leaving the bus and then walked around in an area he had never been before “looking for a place to hide and another bus stop,” after which he heard sirens.
Mann testified that he briefly picked up a knife and a cellphone he saw by the side of the road and then tossed the items, saying, “The knife looked like it had blood on it, so I tossed it.” He also testified he threw away the grey hoodie, a toque and the phone, saying he thought the phone might be stolen.
The court heard that Dunn’s cellphone was missing from her home and was later found in greenspace near where Mann was arrested.
A DNA expert testified that blood found on a large kitchen knife located on a neighbouring property matched Dunn’s known DNA, and that Mann’s DNA matched one of three profiles found on the knife’s handle.
Under cross-examination, Mann acknowledged he may not have had the bag on the bus as he described, saying it had been lost along the way. He also agreed with Crown counsel’s point that the industrial area at 96th Avenue and 192 Street where he got off the bus is approximately 2.5 kilometres from Dunn’s home.
Mann did not dispute that he was the man seen in several videos in Dunn’s neighbourhood, including one placing him near her home at 9:37 p.m. He testified that when he removed his hoodie about an hour and a half after getting off the bus, he was trying to change his appearance after hearing sirens, saying, “I just remember wanting to change my description when I heard the sirens.”
When Crown counsel suggested Mann wanted to change his description because he knew he had stabbed someone, Mann denied it and said he was still concerned police were coming for him for the bus altercation.
Mann told the jury he did not know which road the knife and cellphone were on, saying, “I don’t have a clue,” and he testified he also did not know where he threw the knife. He denied that the DNA on the knife’s handle came from him stabbing Dunn, telling the court, “I didn’t stab Tori Dunn. I didn’t step foot in anyone’s home…or stab anyone.”
Prosecutors say Dunn was stabbed by an intruder in her own home after she and her boyfriend returned from his family birthday dinner. The jury heard from Trafford Wace, who testified he was in the bathroom when he heard a loud scream from Dunn in the living room. Wace said he did not know the attacker, who he described as wearing a grey sweatshirt, a dark-coloured toque and sweatpants. The Crown said Dunn was stabbed four times, including in the abdomen, and died in hospital.
Dunn’s boyfriend testified that his kitchen knife was missing after the suspect fled, and prosecutors said Mann was found within half an hour and within one kilometre of Dunn’s home. Mann, who is the only defence witness, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. Closing arguments are expected to be heard Wednesday, Oct. 21.
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