Tori Dunn Verdict: Guilty in Surrey Killing Case

Case No. DHF-007 | Subject: Tori Dunn | Date: 16 June 2024 (verdict 21 October 2026) | Location: Port Kells, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada | Status: CONVICTED — SENTENCING PENDING

Posted: 26 October 2026

Status stamp: CONVICTED — SENTENCING PENDING

Image note for readers: All images in this file are original illustrations created for Dark History Files. They are atmospheric artwork, not photographs and not real evidence. No image in this file depicts Tori Dunn, Adam Troy Mann, Trafford Wace, any member of any family, or any real person, and no image depicts the killing or any act of violence.

Caption: Case card for DHF-007 — Tori Dunn verdict, Surrey, British Columbia. Status: CONVICTED — SENTENCING PENDING.

THE FILE CARD

Case File No.: DHF-007

Subject: Tori Dunn, 30

Date: 16 June 2024 (killing); verdict 21 October 2026

Location: Port Kells, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

Status: CONVICTED — SENTENCING PENDING

Investigating agency: Homicide investigators, Surrey, British Columbia (agency detail as reported; no specific force named in the reporting relied on)

Prosecuting authority: B.C. Crown counsel (as reported)

Conviction: On 21 October 2026, a jury at B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster convicted Adam Troy Mann, 42, of one count of second-degree murder in the death of Tori Dunn.

One-line summary: A 30-year-old woman was fatally stabbed at her home in Port Kells, Surrey, on the evening of 16 June 2024. More than two years later, a jury rejected the accused man's account of how he came to be carrying the knife and convicted him of second-degree murder. He now awaits sentencing, and the length of time before he can seek parole has not yet been set.

Why this file is stamped CONVICTED — SENTENCING PENDING: a jury has returned a guilty verdict, so "convicted" is now a matter of court record, not an allegation. But no sentence has yet been imposed — the next court appearance, on 29 October 2026, is to schedule a sentencing date — and the parole-ineligibility period within the mandatory life sentence has not yet been set. Until a sentence is imposed, this file will not state a parole figure as fact. If sentencing or an appeal changes the picture, this file will be updated, dated, and re-stamped — never quietly rewritten.

THE CASE

An evening in Port Kells

Port Kells is a quiet corner of Surrey, British Columbia — the kind of place where homes sit apart from one another, where evenings are still, and where a police call after dark is unusual enough to be remembered. On the evening of Sunday 16 June 2024, that stillness broke. Police were called to a home in Port Kells at around 10 p.m. Inside, they found 30-year-old Tori Dunn, who had been fatally stabbed. She was taken to hospital, where she later died. Dunn shared the home with her boyfriend, Trafford Wace, who was not charged with or suspected of any offence in her death.

The arrest came quickly. Adam Troy Mann was arrested near the scene that same night. He was not charged at once: about two weeks later, he was charged with one count of second-degree murder. He has remained in custody ever since. That long stretch in custody — from the summer of 2024 to the autumn of 2026 — is itself part of the shape of this case. It was not a case solved years after the fact by a new forensic breakthrough. It was a case in which a suspect was in custody within hours, and the wait that followed was the wait for a trial.

That wait matters for understanding what the verdict in October 2026 did and did not do. For Dunn's family, the trial was not the discovery of who had killed her. It was the public testing of the evidence against the man already charged, and of the account he gave in his own defence.

A life interrupted

What the reporting establishes about Tori Dunn herself is, in one sense, painfully ordinary. She was 30 years old. She lived in Surrey with her boyfriend. She was a young woman in the middle of an ordinary life — the kind of life that does not usually end in a homicide investigation.

This file deliberately does not fill in the gaps in that picture with colour it cannot verify. It does not invent a biography, a career history, or a set of hobbies for Dunn from fragments, and it does not reproduce private family material. What can be said, and what matters for the file, is simpler: a 30-year-old woman died violently in her own home on a June evening, and the people who loved her were left to wait more than two years for a court to decide what had happened and who was responsible. That wait — and what Dunn's family did with it, which this file records below — is part of the case, not background decoration.

The distinction matters because true-crime writing too often treats the victim as a prologue and the accused as the story. Dunn is the subject of this file; the verdict is recorded here because it answers, in law, the question her death posed.

Caption: Illustration of a quiet suburban street at dusk — atmospheric artwork, not a photograph of the real location and not evidence.

The arrest and the charge

The sequence of the first two weeks is straightforward: Mann was arrested near the scene that night and charged about two weeks later with one count of second-degree murder.

Second-degree murder, in Canadian law, is a murder that is not first-degree — that is, it is not planned and deliberate in the legal sense. It nonetheless carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. What a judge must still decide is the period of parole ineligibility: the number of years, between 10 and 25, that must pass before the convicted person can apply for parole. That decision had not been made when this file was written, and this file does not anticipate it.

Mann remained in custody from his arrest through to the trial. That frames everything that followed: the man who stood trial in New Westminster in 2026 was a man who had already spent more than two years in custody awaiting that trial. Custody before trial is not a sentence, and this file does not treat it as one.

The trial at New Westminster

The trial took place at B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster, before Justice David M. Layton. Closing arguments were heard on 21 October 2026, and that same evening the jury returned its verdict: guilty of second-degree murder.

The shape of the trial, as reported, was defined by a single piece of physical evidence and by the competing explanations offered for it. The Crown's case rested substantially on a knife. The knife carried Dunn's DNA on its blade and Mann's DNA on its handle. That combination — the victim's DNA where a blade does its work, the accused's DNA where a hand grips — was, for the prosecution, the core of the case.

Mann gave evidence in his own defence. He testified that he had been homeless and using drugs on the day of the killing, and he claimed that he had found the knife by the roadside near Dunn's home. That was the account the jury had to weigh against the DNA evidence: not a denial that he had handled a knife, but an explanation of how he had come to handle it — a chance discovery, by the road, rather than a weapon he had brought to the home for the purpose of killing.

The jury rejected that account. The verdict makes that plain, even though the jury itself gave no reasons — juries in Canada do not explain their verdicts, and this file does not invent an explanation for them. What can be said is that the jury, having heard the Crown's DNA evidence and Mann's testimony, concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that Mann had committed second-degree murder.

It is worth pausing on what that does and does not mean. It does not mean the jury found that Mann had planned the killing in advance — second-degree murder, not first-degree, is the conviction recorded. It does not mean the jury made any finding about why he did it. Motive, in the sense of a reason for the killing, was not established on the court record as reported, and this file states no motive for the killing. A conviction for murder does not require the Crown to prove a motive, and the absence of an established motive is not a gap in the verdict.

The background the court heard

Separate from the evidence about the night of 16 June 2024, the reporting on this case carried background about Mann's history that became a significant part of the public discussion — and, through Dunn's family's campaign, part of a wider debate about bail and release in Canada. This file records that background as reported background, attributed to court records and reporting. It is not presented here as a motive for the killing, and it must not be read as one. A person's criminal history explains, at most, how the justice system had dealt with him before. It does not explain a particular killing.

What was reported is this. Mann had a long criminal history, including a 12-year sentence imposed in 2009 for robbery and weapons offences arising from a home invasion. Court records showed two probation orders against him, and a recent release after he had violated one of those orders by possessing knives. At the time of Dunn's killing, he was out on bail while facing a charge of aggravated assault. That last point requires precision: aggravated assault was a charge he faced, an accusation. This file does not state that he committed that assault, because a charge is not a conviction, and the reporting available for this file does not establish a conviction on it.

The fact that Mann was out on bail at the time of the killing, and that he had previously violated a probation order by possessing knives, became the focus of a campaign by Dunn's family. Through a petition under the name Justice for Tori, the family called for a legal review of his release and for changes to the bail system. That campaign is part of the public record of this case, and this file records it because it shows what the family did during the two-year wait for trial. Whether those reforms follow is a question for legislators, not for this file, and this file takes no position on what any particular reform should be.

There is a temptation, in writing about a case like this, to let the background swallow the killing — to write as though a criminal record were an explanation. This file resists that temptation. The background is relevant to the public debate the case prompted, and to understanding why the family's campaign took the form it did. It is not a substitute for the evidence at trial, and it is not a motive. The jury convicted Mann on the evidence about 16 June 2024, not on his record.

The verdict

On the evening of 21 October 2026, after closing arguments that day, the jury found Adam Troy Mann guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Tori Dunn. The verdict was reported the following day, 22 October 2026, by CBC News, the Vancouver Sun, Global News BC, and Peace Arch News, among others. That breadth of reporting matters for this file's fact-check gate: the verdict itself is not a single-outlet claim. It is a court outcome reported consistently across multiple reputable outlets on the same day.

The verdict closed the question of criminal responsibility. It did not close the case. The mandatory life sentence still requires the judge to set the parole-ineligibility period — between 10 and 25 years — and that has not yet happened. Mann's next court appearance is on 29 October 2026, when a sentencing date is to be scheduled. Until that hearing, how long Mann will serve before he can seek parole remains unknown, and this file will not guess it.

The same restraint applies to appeals. No appeal has been reported as of this file's research date, 26 October 2026, and this file records none. If Mann appeals, that will be a dated update to this file. Until then, no appeal should be assumed, and the verdict stands as the court's answer.

What the verdict does and does not settle

A conviction settles criminal responsibility for the death of Tori Dunn on 16 June 2024. It settles, beyond a reasonable doubt in the jury's judgment, that Adam Troy Mann fatally stabbed her and that the killing was second-degree murder. It settles that the jury did not accept his account of finding the knife by the roadside.

It does not settle everything the case raised. It does not establish a motive for the killing — none is established on the court record as reported. It does not resolve, by itself, the bail-system questions Dunn's family raised; a conviction answers who committed the killing, not whether earlier release decisions were right or what the law should be. It does not undo Dunn's death, and it does not shorten the two years her family waited for the trial. And it does not yet answer the sentencing question: how many years must pass before Mann can apply for parole. That answer belongs to a judge, at a hearing that has not yet been scheduled, and this file will record it when it is given.

What can be said, without overreaching, is this: a 30-year-old woman was fatally stabbed in her own home in Port Kells, Surrey, on the evening of 16 June 2024. A man arrested near the scene that night was charged about two weeks later with second-degree murder, remained in custody, and was tried at B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster. The Crown's case turned on a knife carrying her DNA on the blade and his DNA on the handle. He testified that he had found the knife by the roadside while homeless and using drugs. The jury rejected that account and, on 21 October 2026, convicted him of second-degree murder. He now awaits sentencing, and the period before he can seek parole has not yet been set. That is the file as it stands on 26 October 2026.

TIMELINE

• 2009 — Adam Troy Mann receives a 12-year sentence for robbery and weapons offences arising from a home invasion (background as reported from court records).
• Before June 2024 — Court records show two probation orders against Mann, and a recent release after he violated one of those orders by possessing knives (background as reported).
• June 2024 (before 16 June) — Mann is out on bail while facing a charge of aggravated assault. The assault charge is an accusation, not a conviction, and this file does not state that he committed it.
• 16 June 2024, around 10 p.m. — Police are called to a home in Port Kells, Surrey, British Columbia. Tori Dunn, 30, who shared the home with her boyfriend Trafford Wace, is found fatally stabbed. She later dies in hospital.
• 16 June 2024, that night — Adam Troy Mann is arrested near the scene.
• About two weeks later (late June / early July 2024) — Mann is charged with one count of second-degree murder. He remains in custody from then on.
• 2024–2026 — Dunn's family campaigns under the name Justice for Tori, calling for a legal review of Mann's release and for bail-system changes.
• October 2026 — Trial at B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster, before Justice David M. Layton.
• 21 October 2026 — Closing arguments are heard. That evening, the jury finds Mann guilty of second-degree murder.
• 22 October 2026 — The verdict is reported by CBC News, the Vancouver Sun, Global News BC, and Peace Arch News.
• 26 October 2026 — This file's research date. Sentencing is pending; no appeal is reported as of this date.
• 29 October 2026 (scheduled) — Mann's next court appearance, when a sentencing date is to be scheduled. The parole-ineligibility period (10–25 years, within a mandatory life sentence) has not yet been set.

EVIDENCE & LEADS

• The knife (Crown evidence): a knife carrying Dunn's DNA on the blade and Mann's DNA on the handle. Cited here as Crown evidence presented at trial, not as this file's own forensic finding.
• Mann's testimony (defence account): Mann testified that he was homeless and using drugs on the day of the killing, and claimed he found the knife by the roadside near Dunn's home. Reported as the accused's testimony; the jury rejected this account.
• Arrest near the scene: Mann was arrested near the scene on the night of 16 June 2024. Reported as the arrest record; it is not, on its own, proof of the killing — the conviction rests on the trial evidence.
• Charge and custody: one count of second-degree murder, charged about two weeks after the arrest; Mann has remained in custody since. Procedural record as reported.
• Verdict record: guilty of second-degree murder, 21 October 2026, B.C. Supreme Court, New Westminster, Justice David M. Layton; reported 22 October 2026 by multiple reputable outlets.
• Background record (not trial evidence for the killing): 2009 12-year sentence for robbery and weapons offences in a home invasion; two probation orders; a release after violating one order by possessing knives; bail at the time of the killing while facing an aggravated assault charge (charge only, not a conviction). Recorded as reported background, not as a motive.
• Family campaign (public record): Justice for Tori petition calling for a legal review of Mann's release and for bail-system changes. Recorded as a campaign, not as a finding about any release decision.
• What is NOT evidence in this file: any detail of the attack beyond the fact that Dunn was fatally stabbed (graphic detail is deliberately omitted); any motive for the killing (none is established on the court record as reported); any claim that Mann committed the aggravated assault he was charged with; any account of the jury's private reasoning (juries give no reasons); any statement about what sentence or parole period Mann will receive.

Caption: Illustration of an empty courtroom — atmospheric artwork, not a photograph of the real courtroom and not evidence.

STILL UNKNOWN

• What parole-ineligibility period will the judge set? Second-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence, and the judge must set parole ineligibility between 10 and 25 years. No figure has been set yet, and this file will not predict it.
• When will sentencing take place? Mann's next court appearance is 29 October 2026, when a sentencing date is to be scheduled. No sentencing date exists yet.
• Will there be an appeal? No appeal is reported as of this file's research date, 26 October 2026. If one is filed, its grounds will be unknown until it is filed.
• What was the motive for the killing? None is established on the court record as reported. Unless a sentencing hearing or another proceeding establishes one, this file will continue to record motive as not established rather than fill the gap.
• Will the family's bail-system campaign lead to legal change? The Justice for Tori campaign has called for a review of Mann's release and for bail-system changes. Whether any review or reform follows is a matter for the courts and legislators, and no outcome is recorded here.

What would change this file: when a sentencing date is set on 29 October 2026, and when a sentence is imposed, this file will be updated with the dates and the parole-ineligibility period, dated, and re-stamped. If an appeal is filed or decided, it will be recorded in the same way. Until one of those things happens, the stamp stays CONVICTED — SENTENCING PENDING, and this file will not be quietly rewritten.

WATCH THE FULL STORY

No companion video yet. If Dark History Files' sister channel Curiozoid publishes a video on this case, it will be linked here.

SOURCES

• Peace Arch News, 22 October 2026 — verdict (guilty of second-degree murder, Wednesday 21 October 2026, B.C. Supreme Court, New Westminster, Justice David M. Layton), killing on 16 June 2024 in Port Kells, Mann's testimony (roadside-discovery claim), mandatory life sentence with parole ineligibility of 10–25 years to be set, next court appearance 29 October 2026 to schedule sentencing.
• Vancouver Sun (Postmedia), 22 October 2026 — verdict and trial reporting: jury in New Westminster, Mann arrested near the scene that night, charged about two weeks later, knife DNA evidence (Dunn's DNA on the blade, Mann's DNA on the handle), Mann's account (homeless, using drugs), Mann out on bail while facing aggravated assault charges, long criminal history including robbery, weapons offences and parole violations.
• CBC News, 22 October 2026 reporting, as reproduced in news aggregation — verdict, killing on 16 June 2024 (police called around 10 p.m., Dunn later died in hospital), knife DNA, Mann's roadside claim, background from court records (two probation orders, release after violating one by possessing knives, accused of a further assault three weeks before the killing), family Justice for Tori campaign for a legal review of his release and bail-system changes, 2009 12-year sentence for robbery and weapons offences in a home invasion.
• Global News BC, 22 October 2026 reporting, as summarised in secondary coverage — guilty verdict in the Surrey home-invasion killing of Tori Dunn.
• B.C. Supreme Court trial record, New Westminster, as reported by the outlets above — conviction for one count of second-degree murder, 21 October 2026; mandatory life sentence for second-degree murder in Canada, with parole ineligibility to be set between 10 and 25 years; next court appearance 29 October 2026 to schedule a sentencing date.
• No competitor article text or image is reproduced in this file. Facts are stated in Dark History Files' own words, with Crown evidence and defence testimony attributed to the side that presented them. Where a direct article text was not fetched during research (CBC, Global News BC), the outlet is cited honestly as the reporting source via the reproduction or summary relied on, and the full attribution detail is in the file's fact-log. No official release is linked where none was fetched directly.

Reader question: The jury in this case had to weigh DNA evidence against the accused man's own explanation of how he came to carry the knife — when physical evidence and a personal account point in different directions, which should carry more weight in a courtroom, and why?

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Next file: DHF-008 — Christin Munn-Holliday: Missing After Bridge Crash

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