Safety is supposed to start at your own front door. For Tori Dunn, that security was shattered in an instant inside her Surrey home in June 2024.
Now, the legal process is underway to find out why. The second-degree murder trial for 42-year-old Adam Mann started in a packed British Columbia courtroom, bringing raw emotion and chilling testimony back to the surface. If you've been following this case, day one delivered harrowing details about the night that changed everything for Dunn's family and her partner, Trafford Wace.
What Happened on the First Day of the Trial
Courtrooms are sterile environments, but the testimony heard on Monday was anything but. The Crown laid out its case early, telling the jury that Dunn had just returned home from a birthday dinner with Wace on June 16, 2024. They were unwinding on the couch, watching television, when Dunn drifted off to sleep on her partner's shoulder.
What followed is every homeowner's worst nightmare.
Wace got up briefly to use the bathroom, leaving the TV on and Dunn resting. Moments later, he heard a scream that he described as louder than anything he'd ever heard before. Rushing back into the living room, Wace faced a stranger standing right inside their home.
The intruder, later identified by police and prosecutors as Mann, was trapped against a wall with Dunn right in front of him. When Wace demanded to know who he was, the suspect simply muttered, "Oh shit," before fleeing the scene. Dunn had been stabbed in the abdomen. She managed to tell Wace what happened before losing consciousness. She died later at the hospital.
The Evidence and Witness Testimony
The trial opened with testimony that cuts straight to the core of how quickly random violence can strike. Wace took the stand first, detailing the terrifying seconds after he walked out of the bathroom. He noted that Mann wore a grey sweatshirt, sweatpants, and a toque, and was a complete stranger to both of them.
First responders also painted a grim picture for the jury. Surrey Police Service Const. Jay Mander testified about arriving at the scene and moving Dunn out to the grass because officers weren't certain if the attacker was still inside the residence. Mander noted a severe two-inch stab wound to her abdomen as she drifted in and out of consciousness.
Police arrested Mann within 30 minutes of the 911 call, less than a kilometre away from the Port Kells home. Justice David Layton presided over the jury selection and opening statements, noting for the record that Mann is of Black and Indigenous heritage.
What Comes Next in the Court Proceedings
The trial is scheduled to run for three weeks. The Crown plans to call multiple witnesses, including additional police investigators and a forensic pathologist, to piece together the timeline of that June night.
For the family and community members who packed the courtroom, filling half the seats on day one, no verdict will bring Tori back. But as the legal arguments unfold, the spotlight turns to accountability, looking for answers in a tragedy that stunned a neighbourhood and left a family searching for justice.
