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An Ontario man accused of fatally stabbing a woman during a home invasion in Surrey, British Columbia, took the stand in his own defence on Monday and flatly denied any involvement in her death. “It wasn’t me,” said Adam Mann, 42, of Windsor, Ontario, while testifying at his second-degree murder trial in New Westminster Supreme Court. Mann faces charges in connection with the death of Tori Dunn, 30, who died in hospital after being stabbed at her Surrey home on June 16, 2024.
Mann Describes His Movements on the Night of the Attack
Mann told the court he was homeless in June 2024 and living on the streets. He said he used drugs and alcohol daily, funding his habit through theft and welfare cheques. On the evening of June 16, he testified he boarded a bus to meet a friend at Scott Road Station in Surrey. During the ride, he said he got into a fight with a stranger he believed had taken his bag. He threw a few punches before getting off the bus, fearing someone would call police.
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After leaving the bus, Mann said he smoked crack cocaine and then wandered through an unfamiliar neighbourhood. He told the court he was looking for somewhere to hide and another bus stop. He then testified that he spotted a knife and a cell phone on the side of the road. He picked them up briefly before hearing sirens nearby. “The knife looked like it had blood on it, so I tossed it,” he said from the stand.
Mann also told the court he discarded the grey hoodie and toque he had been wearing, along with the phone, which he suspected was stolen. However, prosecutors noted that Dunn’s cell phone had gone missing from her home that night. Police later recovered it in a greenspace close to where officers arrested Mann.
DNA Evidence Links Mann to the Murder Weapon
Earlier in the trial, a DNA expert testified about forensic testing on a large kitchen knife found on a neighbouring property near Dunn’s home. The expert said blood on the knife matched Dunn’s DNA. Furthermore, Mann’s DNA matched one of three profiles found on the knife’s handle.
During cross-examination, Crown prosecutor Tim Livingston pressed Mann on several inconsistencies. Mann admitted he may not have actually had his bag with him on the bus at all. He also agreed that the industrial area near 96th Avenue and 192 Street, where he got off the bus, sits approximately 2.5 kilometres from Dunn’s home. In addition, Mann did not dispute that surveillance footage placed him in Dunn’s neighbourhood, including footage showing him near her home at 9:37 p.m.
Livingston also questioned why Mann removed his hoodie roughly an hour and a half after leaving the bus. Mann replied, “I just remember wanting to change my description when I heard the sirens.” When the prosecutor suggested Mann changed his appearance because he knew he had stabbed someone, Mann denied it. He claimed he was still worried police were pursuing him over the bus altercation.
Crown Outlines Its Theory of the Attack
Prosecutors allege that Dunn was stabbed by an intruder inside her own home after she and her boyfriend, Trafford Wace, returned from a family birthday dinner that evening. Wace testified he was in the bathroom when he heard Dunn scream from the living room. He told the court he did not recognise the attacker, who wore a grey sweatshirt, a dark toque and sweatpants. After the suspect fled, Wace noticed his kitchen knife was missing.
The Crown said Dunn suffered four stab wounds, including one to the abdomen. She later died in hospital. Prosecutors also noted that officers located Mann within half a kilometre of Dunn’s home and within thirty minutes of the attack.
When Livingston directly suggested that Mann’s DNA appeared on the knife handle because he had used it to stab Dunn, Mann rejected the claim outright. “I didn’t stab Tori Dunn,” he said. “I didn’t step foot in anyone’s home…or stab anyone.” Mann is the only witness called by the defence in the jury trial. He has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. Closing arguments are expected on Wednesday, October 21.
