Mark Jayden Harrison is entitled to a bail hearing after a second degree murder charge was applied against him. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

court update

Accused Maffeo Sutton park murderer remains locked up as case proceeds

Sep 21, 2022 | 5:29 AM

NANAIMO — A man charged with second degree murder following a disturbing stabbing attack on Nanaimo’s waterfront will remain in custody indefinitely.

Mark Jayden Harrison, 19, had his case put over one month to Oct. 18 following a Tuesday, Sept. 20 court appearance in Nanaimo.

A bail hearing date could be established for Harrison during his next appearance.

Harrison was charged four days after a fatal late night Sept. 5 stabbing which left 29-year-old Fred Parsons dead.

A second man, Aiden Mathew Bell, was charged with two offences, including assault with a weapon in relation to the incident.

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Officers at the time said the stabbing was apparently random and the result of a disagreement between two individuals and a group of youth.

Police said bear spray was used during the altercation, with Parsons ultimately suffering fatal stab wounds, while a 22-year-old he was with also required medical attention.

Harrison is currently in custody at the Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre (VIRCC) in Saanich.

On Friday Sept. 16 members of an RCMP underwater dive team were searching for evidence in connection to the homicide at Maffeo Sutton Park.

A memorial established at Maffeo Sutton Park in honour of Fred Parsons. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

The city’s latest murder represented the fourth homicide of the year in what has been a violent year in Nanaimo.

Notably, Nanaimo RCMP determined three of the homicides were random in nature.

Simon James Baker was charged with second degree murder following a homicide at an Eighth St. home on June 21.

Forty-year-old Denise Allick of Victoria was identified as the deceased following an attack at the home.

Police said at the time there was no known connection between Baker and the woman.

In February beloved Buzz Coffee House employee 79-year-old Eric Kutzner was murdered while preparing to help open the business for customers.

James Carey Turok was charged with second degree murder in connection to Kutzner’s death and was later determined mentally fit to stand trial.

Both Baker and Turok remain in pre-trial lock-up.

No arrests or charges have been announced in relation to a homicide at a south Nanaimo home on Athletic St. in August, resulting in the death of Trevor Lawrence Stross.

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