Man accused in homicide confessed to grandfather, court hears

Brad Southwind confessed to his grandfather that he had killed a friend, jurors heard when the older man testified as a Crown witness at Southwind's first-degree murder trial.

Carl Starnizki said his grandson was staying at his Elliot Lake home when he found paperwork that indicated Southwind was being investigated in a crime.

"I asked what had happened, what he did," the witness told prosecutor Karen Pritchard. "At first he was apprehensive but told me what he believed to be his truth."

He said Southwind told him he had stabbed Joe (Topping) in the chest and "didn't know how many times he did that."

Starnizki questioned his grandson, asking if he had done this how did he know Topping had died.

Southwind responded that "his eyes were open and he wasn't  breathing," he said.

The 27-year-old accused has pleaded not guilty to the homicide charge.

Police located Topping's body in a wooded marshy area behind his Mississauga apartment building apartment on Feb. 14, 2018.

Starnizki said he took Southwind, and his grandson's mother to the Ontario Provincial Police detachment in Elliot Lake in August 2018 after he found the papers to see if the young man would be arrested. 

"I believe they didn't arrest him because he didn't have a lawyer."

During cross-examination by defence lawyer Don Orazietti, he said he understood his grandson had to take medications daily when he was younger.

"I can't say what his illness was. I know he was schizophrenic and had a mental disorder."

Later when he was living on his own Southwind was taking prescribed medications that he was supposed to take daily, Starnizki said.

He told the court he would call his grandson to ask if he was taking his meds.  "Sometimes he'd say no, they made him sleepy," the witness said. "I tried to make sure he was taking his medications and sometimes he failed."

At one point, Southwind also told him he was using a mixture of drugs and alcohol.

"When you spoke to police in August 2018 did you indicate Brad was off his medication?" Orazietti asked. 

"Yes," he responded.

The defence asked if he was worried something bad would happen.

Starnizki said no, he was concerned about his grandson being healthy.

"It was of my control. He's an adult."

On Tuesday, the jury also heard from Det. Chris Pritchard, a member of the East Algoma OPP detachment, who was involved in the investigation.

The 21-year-officer said Southwind was a person of interest in the death because he had some connections with Topping.

On May 10, 2018, a jacket was found under a piece of metal during a search of the most direct route from Topping's apartment building to where his body was found.

DNA from Southwind and Topping was detected on the jacket.

He told assistant Crown attorney David Didiodato that police never released information to the public that the 31-year-old Topping had been stabbed. 

On Aug. 19, 2018, Starnizki, his daughter and grandson, came to the OPP detachment, asking to talk to the lead investigator in the case.

That officer wasn't available.

Pritchard said he drove to Elliot Lake to speak to them because he had knowledge of the case and knew Southwind was a suspect.

He cautioned Southwind and gave him his right to counsel, the detective testified.

As well, "I explained he wasn't detained or arrested at this time and he could leave at any time."

Southwind indicated he wanted to talk to a lawyer.

Pritchard said he called the lawyer Southwind wanted to speak with, and left a message when he couldn't reach him.

Southwind and his family left the detachment after Pritchard gave him his business card "if he wanted to come back the next day."

On Aug. 20, police received additional information indicating that Southwind had told his grandfather that he had murdered Topping.

The sequence of events was consistent with the condition of the body - multiple  stab wounds - information that was held back and never released to the media.

"We had reasonable grounds to arrest him," Pritchard said. "Only a person present at the time the crime was committed would know it."

During cross-examination, he told Orazietti he wasn't involved in Southwind's arrest.

When the defence asked if the man's mother had been enlisted to assist police, Pritchard indicated she had been involved for the two months leading up to Southwind's arrest.

She came forward to police and said she had information that led us to suspect 

Southwind was involved in Topping's death, the officer said.