A Surrey jury has begun deliberations in the second-degree murder trial of 42-year-old Adam Mann. Mann is accused of fatally stabbing Tori Dunn in her home on June 16, 2024, though he maintains he was an innocent bystander who happened upon the evidence. The proceedings concluded after final submissions from both the Crown and the defense.
The DNA on the grey sweatshirt and kitchen knife
The prosecution's case rests heavily on forensic links between Adam Mann and the crime scene. According to the report, an RCMP forensic analyst testified that Mann's DNA matched samples found on the handle of a large kitchen knife, the interior neckline of a grey hoodie, and the cellphone belonging to Tori Dunn. The victim's blood was confirmed on the blade of the knife, and her DNA was found on the sleeve of the hoodie.
These items were discovered discarded in the neighborhood after Tori Dunn was stabbed in her living room. Dunn was transported to the emergency room at Royal Columbian Hospital, where she later passed away. The Crown argues that these physical markers leave little room for doubt regarding Adam Mann's involvement in the attack.
Adam Mann's claim of a transit bus altercation
Taking the stand in his own defense, Adam Mann provided a starkly different narrative. Mann testified that he was homeless and using crack cocaine on the night of the killing. He claimed he had been riding a transit bus in the area when a fight broke out with another passengger, prompting him to exit the bus in an unfamiliar neighborhood to avoid police detection.
As the report says, Mann told the court that while wandering the streets, he spotted a kitchen knife on the side of the road. He claimed he picked it up, realized it was bloody, and immediately threw it away. He further alleged that he found Tori Dunn's cellphone and picked it up hoping to sell it for cash, only to discard it when he heard police sirens approaching.
The 18-minute windw between the 911 call and arrest
The timeline of the event is a central pillar of the Crown's argument. a 911 call reporting the stabbing was received at 9:49 p.m.,and an officer with the Surrey Police Service took Adam Mann into custody approximately 18 minutes later. Crown lawyer Tim Livingstone presented surveillance footage from homes and businesses in the Port Kells neighborhood showing Mann walking the streets both before and after the murder.
The surveillance video specifically captures Mann removing a grey sweatshirt while walking down the street shortly after the emergency call.. This timing, combined with the rapid arrest, is used by the prosecution to suggest that Adam Mann was fleeing the scene of the crime rather than wandering aimlessly after a bus fight.
The friction of a drug addict in Port Kells' middle-class streets
The defense has attempted to frame the case through the lens of systemic bias and social perception. Defense lawyer Paul McMurray argued that Adam Mann—a man of African and First Nations descent struggling with addiction—simply did not "look like he belonged" in the upper-middle-class Port Kells neighborhood. This contrast, McMurray suggested, explains why Mann was acting evasively and attempting to hide from police.
This argument positions the case within a broader trend of how marginalized individuals are perceived by law enforcement in affluent areas. by highlighting Mann's vulnerability and racial identity, the defnese suggests that his behavior was a reaction to the fear of profiling rather than a sign of guilt in a murder investigation.
The missing details of the bus fight and the 'I don't know' testimony
Despite the defense's narrative, several critical gaps remain in Adam Mann's story. Tim Livingstone, speaking for the Crown, urged the jury to reject Mann's testimony, noting that the phrase "I don't know" appeared frequently when Mann was pressed for specific details about the evening. Specifically, the Crown has questioned the lack of verifiable evidence regarding the alleged fight on the transit bus.
The jury must now determine if the coincidence of Mann finding a bloody knife and a victim's phone within minutes of a murder is plausible, or if the forensic evidence and surveillance timing prove the Crown's theory of a home invasion beyond a reasonable doubt .
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