Two additional individuals have entered guilty pleas in connection with the brutal 2019 homicide of Kitchener resident Jason John Brown, a case with alleged ties to the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. The developments came in a Guelph courtroom this week, marking another step in a complex legal proceeding that began over six years ago.
Details of a Fatal Kidnapping
On March 12, 2019, Jason John Brown was forcibly taken from a cemetery in Harriston, located near Mount Forest in Wellington County. According to evidence presented in court, the aspiring gang prospect was viciously attacked with a baseball bat, restrained with duct tape, and thrown into a vehicle. He did not survive the ordeal.
Prosecutors stated that Brown was then transported to an Outlaws Motorcycle Club clubhouse in Toronto, but he is believed to have died either during the journey or shortly after arrival. His body was discovered the next day, discarded at the side of Stevenson Road in Oshawa. The investigation revealed that four of the individuals originally accused were affiliated with the Outlaws MC.
Guilty Pleas and Ongoing Case
Five people were initially charged in relation to Brown's death. This week, Steven Walsom-Gerigs of Brantford and Travis Willard Wand pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault against Brown. They also admitted to assault causing bodily harm for an attack on another person who was with Brown at the cemetery. That individual, who could have been a key witness, has since died.
Walsom-Gerigs, who has been in custody since his 2023 arrest, received a sentence of five additional days on top of his time already served. Wand, arrested in 2024, was sentenced to 11 months in addition to his pre-trial custody.
A Family's Continued Anguish
For the victim's family, the guilty pleas offer little solace. "Them pleading guilty means absolutely nothing to me and my family. Now what? We still have our lives to go on with," Brown's sister, Nancy, told CTV News. She also expressed sorrow for the family of the deceased friend, stating, "Now somebody else, (the friend's) family, has to go through what we're going through for something that had nothing to do with him. He was just a ride for my brother to get somewhere."
The legal proceedings are not yet complete. Mathew Drummond of London, Ontario, continues to face charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. His case remains before the courts.
Other co-accused have previously reached resolutions. Joshua Alexander Drummond, also of London, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter and received an eight-year sentence. Jessica Martin, 35, of North Perth, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to manslaughter.
