Contradictory evidence shared at his ongoing trial
SUDBURY—The murder trial of Prince Graham, accused in the 2022 slaying of Brandan Brooks, took a damning turn as forensic firearms scientist Jennifer Plath delivered her testimony.
A bullet extracted from Mr. Brooks’ body matched one of the two Glock handguns recovered by police, Ms. Plath confirmed. With meticulous precision, she described how the distinctive right-hand twist grooves left on the projectile aligned perfectly with the barrel of the 40-calibre Glock found near the crime scene.
Mr. Brooks, 30, was gunned down in a Pine Street home in M’Chigeeng First Nation, allegedly during a drug turf war orchestrated by Graham, 39, of North York. According to prosecutors, Mr. Brooks had been dealing drugs from the home of Jane Migwans, who was also assaulted in the fatal home invasion.
OPP Constable Nick Chapman testified that he pulled over a speeding Toyota Rav-4 on Highway 540 shortly after the shooting. Inside were five Black men—identified as suspects—trying to flee the Island. At the time, Const. Chapman was unaware of their direct involvement, but after a chilling message from dispatch, he realized he had just stopped Mr. Brooks’ suspected killers. Officers later arrested the men at gunpoint, seizing the vehicle for forensic examination.
Assistant Crown attorney Cecilia Bouzane laid out the prosecution’s case: Mr. Graham allegedly recruited a team of enforcers from Toronto to settle scores in the volatile drug trade of Manitoulin Island. Seven men stand charged in the brutal killing, but their fate remains uncertain.
DNA Revelations Shake the Trial
On January 30 the trial took a shocking twist when forensic biologist Michael Bissonnette testified that, despite the weight of the evidence, DNA from the accused mastermind, Prince Graham, was not found at the crime scene.
However, Mr. Bissonnette confirmed that the DNA of the murder victim, Mr. Brooks, was present on one of the recovered Glocks. The firearm, found dumped in a ditch near M’Chigeeng, was confirmed to be the murder weapon.
The presence of genetic material from two of Mr. Graham’s co-accused, Robbie Edwards and Jerome Fuller, on the gun’s slider grip painted a grim picture. The DNA evidence, Mr. Bissonnette explained, was “140 times more likely” to have come from Mr. Brooks than from a random individual. A bloodstain found on Mr. Fuller’s coat pocket was also linked to Mr. Brooks, further cementing his connection to the gruesome crime.
While Mr. Graham’s defense lawyer, Susan Van Achten, attempted to cast doubt by emphasizing the absence of her client’s DNA, the prosecution countered with a sobering fact: not all shooters leave behind forensic traces.
Gunshot Residue on Suspects’ Clothes
A forensic bombshell exploded in the courtroom as forensic chemist Benjamin Lee testified that two of Graham’s alleged hitmen—Jeromie Fuller and Jeromie Simon—were found with gunshot residue on their clothing.
Mr. Simon’s blue hoodie carried two particles of gunshot residue, while Mr. Fuller’s black jacket had a damning six particles. Mr. Lee explained that gunshot residue, a telltale forensic signature, clings to skin and clothing after a firearm is discharged. He also noted that suspects wearing gloves or masks could have shielded themselves from more residue transfer—an eerie reminder that the home invaders were masked when they stormed Ms. Migwans’ home.
While three of the accused tested negative for gunshot residue, the prosecution insisted that did not absolve them, as residue could have been washed off or transferred elsewhere.
Digital Footprints Expose the Killer’s Journey
Ontario Provincial Police Special Constable Michael Ryder unveiled ‘digital breadcrumbs’ left by the Toyota Rav-4 used in the getaway. Const. Ryder’s forensic analysis of the vehicle’s GPS log reconstructed the suspects’ movements—from their departure in Scarborough on April 4, 2022, to their arrival in M’Chigeeng, circling the First Nation, and ultimately stopping outside the Pine Street residence where Mr. Brooks was murdered.
But then, a gap. Eighteen minutes and 58 seconds of missing data.
According to Const. Ryder, the time unaccounted for aligned almost exactly with the drive from Pine Street to the location where police intercepted the vehicle. What happened during those missing minutes? The jury was left to speculate.
The Trial Continues
With DNA, ballistic forensics and digital evidence mounting, Mr. Graham’s defense team faces an uphill battle. Prosecutors paint him as a ruthless orchestrator of a drug war killing, while his lawyers cling to the absence of direct forensic proof linking him to the trigger.
As the trial enters its third week, one question remains: Will the jury be convinced that Prince Graham was the puppet master behind the brutal execution of Brandan Brooks?
The courtroom waits in suspense as the truth unravels one testimony at a time.
