Bradley Joudrey, 32, of London, was initially charged with attempted murder in connection with the incident, but London police say that because the victim has died, the charges have been upgraded to first-degree murder. Police were called early Tuesday morning to reports of a person on fire in the parking lot of a business near Trafalgar Street and Admiral Drive. According to police, the victim succumbed to his injuries Tuesday night at the hospital. The victim has been identified as Jonathan Graham. “Losing John is like losing a part of us,” said Graham’s cousin Tracy Manders. “It’s a big family and now one of our branches has fallen and once they fall you can’t pick them back up and put them back on the tree.” Manders said Joudrey and Graham were friends as teenagers. “It wasn’t unusual for him and Jon to go hang out together, have a few, you know, drinks with each other,” she said. “Yeah, there’s always going to be some personal conversations because we don’t always agree with each other, but it’s always a hug and make-up situation. We don’t understand this at all.” A fundraising effort is being launched to cover the cost of his return and burial. The money will also go into a trust to support his eight-year-old son Leighton. “Because we cannot wait for our young loved ones to pass, the family will now bear the cost of having him cremated in Toronto and then returning his remains to London. Then, of course, there will be the funeral,” Manders said. The accused remains in custody and is scheduled to appear again in London court tomorrow, July 15, 2022, in relation to the charge. – With files from CTV London’s Gerry Dewan.
