Fred Parsons was killed in September 2022 after an altercation at Maffeo Sutton Park saw him stabbed multiple times and both he and his friends hit with bear spray. (Submitted photo)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

manslaughter

‘There are no winners today:’ pair jailed for stabbing death of Nanaimo man at Maffeo Sutton Park

Feb 19, 2025 | 12:36 PM

NANAIMO — Two men convicted of manslaughter last year will spend the next four to eight years behind bars.

Mark Jayden Harrison and Aiden Matthew William Bell, both 21 years old, were formally sentenced in B.C. Supreme Court in Nanaimo on Tuesday, Feb. 19, nearly two-and-a-half years after they assaulted and fatally stabbed Fred Parsons at Maffeo Sutton Park in September 2022.

Both Bell, who Crown argued committed the stabbing, and Harrison, who used bear spray during the unprovoked attack, were sentenced to eight years in federal prison by justice Robin Baird, who categorized the level of violence as “planned, intentional and extreme.”

“Mr. Parsons was attacked and killed for no good reason at all except for whatever perverse satisfaction his assailants may have hoped to get from him,” Baird told court during his decision.

As part of the sentence, Harrison was credited with 1,343 days spent in custody, stemming from the 895 days since his arrest following the incident, while Bell received no pre-trial credit as he was on prolonged house arrest.

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It means Harrison will serve just over four more years in prison, while Bell will serve the full eight years.

Baird added it wasn’t conclusively proven who the stabber was, but the detail was immaterial as both Bell and Harrison were found jointly culpable for the assault against Parsons, his girlfriend and their friend who were playing on the waterfront park’s playground.

Justice Baird emphasized Parsons and the two others were completely innocent victims with developmental challenges who didn’t know Harrison, his girlfriend and Bell.

“In my view, the jury was perfectly justified in deciding, as I would have done if it were left to me, that both of these young men are equally criminally responsible for Mr. Parsons’ death.”

Justice Baird described the assault as “utterly brainless and lethal thuggery” potentially fuelled by Bell’s 19th birthday, which was the day after the attack.

“It seems that random and gratuitous violence was his way of celebrating this special occasion.”

While the most severe punishment for a manslaughter conviction under the Criminal Code of Canada is life imprisonment, typical sentence lengths range between four and 15 years in jail.

Police closed off a large section of Maffeo Sutton Park the day after the attack on Parsons, to conduct their investigation. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Court heard, during sentencing arguments in January, Parsons’ blood was found on Bell’s clothing the night in question.

An 11-member jury ultimately accepted the Crown’s version of events, which suggested a group of people entered, then left the park around the time of the attack, later confirmed to include both Bell and Harrison.

The group was periodically spotted on surrounding security camera footage as they made their way to a downtown parkade where they were seen by a friend of Harrison’s girlfriend.

The friend reported hearing the group say “we just stabbed someone”.

With no video footage of the attack itself, the Crown successfully argued beyond a reasonable doubt Bell and Harrison committed the crime, using the bloody jacket, witness testimony from before and after the incident, as well as statements from Parsons’ friends who were with him the night he was killed.

Fred Parsons is remembered as a beloved son and friend. (submitted photo)

A written statement from Fred’s mother said her family can properly grieve and heal after the untimely death of her son.

“There are no winners today. There is no sentence that can bring back my son,” she wrote. “The streets in Nanaimo will be safer with these two offenders behind bars and our family hopes the attackers participate in every prison program to help them re-enter society later as improved, kinder humans fit for society.”

She praised the work of the RCMP, who investigated Fred’s death, while acknowledging the “self-restraint and decorum” shown by family, friends and supporters over the lengthy court process.

“Important conversations to strengthen public safety continue to take place by change-makers and I am grateful for their work. Obviously, there is still much work to be done.”

She added her family will work to “pick up the pieces of our quiet lives” and are focusing on taking care of each other.

Melanie Cadden is the former manager of Coco Cafe in Cedar, a popular eatery employing neurodiverse people.

She said Parsons joined the cafe as an unskilled worker who blossomed into a skilled cook over his more than six years at the cafe south of Nanaimo.

Cadden said Parsons was exceptionally kind and well-respected.

“There’s so many stories online, on Facebook about the nice things he would do for people. When you say his name people smile and that’s really important,” Cadden told reporters on the front steps of the Nanaimo court house.

She said what happened to Fred underscores the dangerous consequences of young people making life-changing decisions.

“It’s really about who you hang out with and where you get your energy from and what you want to do in life,” Cadden said.

Crown prosecutor Nick Barber called the punishment appropriate, stating the jury and judge came to the same conclusion the Crown did regarding who was responsible.

“It’s a fit sentence, these young men who I think do continue to be a risk as it was shown in the various reports and evidence at trial and at sentencing will now not be in the community for some period of time,” Barber said.

Harrison and Bell both had disadvantaged upbringings.

Harrison in particular has various mental health challenges, including Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

His childhood, marred by drug addicted parents, violence and poverty, included him feeling unsupported and ill-equipped to navigate life on his own when he aged out of foster care two-and-a-half months prior to Parsons’ death.

Both offenders were handed lifetime prohibited and restricted firearms/ weapons bans for life, and were also ordered to submit samples of their DNA.

Aiden Bell, entering court in August 2024, while under house arrest during court proceedings. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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