Trial begins for men accused of stabbing death at Nanaimo’s Maffeo Sutton Park

Once jurors were selected, the first witness called to the stand was the primary investigator of the case Cst. Ian Gray of the Nanaimo RCMP Serious Crimes Unit.

Crown Prosecutor Nick Barber showed the jury a series of aerial photos detailing the waterfront, from where Parsons’ body was found at Maffeo Sutton Park to the multi-storey parkade near The Bastion.

Stills from the parking garage surveillance footage from 11:20 p.m. on the night of Parsons’ death showed three men and one woman walking north towards the park, with Gray identifying two of the men as Harrison and Bell, with Bell wearing a light-coloured jacket.

Further surveillance footage taken from the Lighthouse Bistro & Pub showed the individuals making their way towards Maffeo Sutton Park prior to the 911 call made by a security guard in the area around 11:25 p.m.

The final two surveillance photos from the same cameras show the same group walking in the opposite direction away from the park around 11:30 p.m., with Bell now carrying the white jacket.

Following the 911 call, which included an eyewitness description of some people seen fleeing the area following the attack, officers arrested Bell near the Port Theatre, where a white jacket was found stuffed down one of his pant legs.

The jacket was then sent for DNA analysis.

Based on the same eyewitness descriptions and statements, along with the surveillance footage, Harrison was identified as being with Bell the night of the attack.

Harrison was also arrested the night of the incident but released and then re-arrested several days later at the Ministry of Child and Family Development building in downtown Nanaimo.

A 17-year-old boy was found hiding in some bushes at the park on the night of the incident and was also arrested, but was eventually released without charges.

Cst. Gray said he had previous dealings with Harrison and was familiar with him prior to the incident.

When asked by Barber if Gray would recognize Harrison and Bell if he saw them today, Gray said yes and pointed to the two defendants sitting in court.

Aiden Bell leaves court during a break in a May, 2023 preliminary inquiry. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Incident and fallout
At the time of Parsons’ death, Nanaimo RCMP stated a small group of people were approached by another group of young people when a confrontation broke out late in the evening.

Police said bear spray was used towards Parsons’ group.

Following the incident which saw Parsons stabbed, he was transported to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital where he eventually died from his injuries.

Parsons had developmental disabilities, as did his two friends who were with him at the park.

Harrison was originally charged with second-degree murder, while Bell was charged with a pair of weapons offences. The charges were eventually adjusted to manslaughter for both.

The charges were changed in November 2022 after the B.C. Prosecution Service stated it received additional information as the police investigation continued.

Harrison was denied interim release privileges in March 2023, and has been in custody at the Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre in Saanich since just after the incident.

He has a long youth record dating back to 2019 with five convictions for crimes of violence and 15 breaches of court orders.

Bell was initially granted bail, having no prior criminal record and living under house arrest.

The trial continues on Tuesday, July 23, and is expected to last two weeks.

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by Jordan Davidson

Trial begins for men accused of stabbing death at Nanaimo’s Maffeo Sutton Park

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