Charges upgraded following death of man in east London

Charges have been upgraded following the death of a man in east London.

Bradley Joudrey, 32, of London, was originally charged with attempted murder in connection to the incident but London police say because the victim died, charges have been upgraded to first degree murder.

Police were called early Tuesday morning for 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 in hospital.

The victim has been identified as Jonathan Graham.

“Losing Jon is like losing a part of ourselves,” said Graham’s cousin Tracey Manders. “It’s a big family and now one of our branches is 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 teens.

“It was nothing out of the ordinary for Jon and him to go and hang out together, have a couple of, you know, beverages with each other,” she said. “Yeah, there's always going to be a few tête-à-têtes because we don't always agree with each other but it's always a hug and make-up kind of situation. We don't understand this, at all."

A fundraising effort is being launched to address the costs of having him returned and for the burial. Money will also go into a trust to support his eight-year-old son Layton. 

“Because we don’t expect our young loved ones to pass, now the family is going to incur costs to have him cremated in Toronto and then have his remains returned to London. Then, of course, there will be the funeral,” Manders said.

The accused remains in custody and is scheduled to reappear in London court tomorrow, July 15, 2022, in relation to the charge.

- With files from CTV London's Gerry Dewan.