A man serving time for a 2022 shooting at the Walmart in New Sudbury is adding another 12 months to his sentence after pleading guilty to assault causing bodily harm.
In court Jan. 9, Kaden Graham, 22, answered to charges stemming from a Feb. 4, 2022, attack on his partner’s face, the result of what the court clerk described as a “fit of jealousy.”
“He proceeded to repeatedly punch her in the face with a closed fist, causing her to fall to the ground with a bleeding nose,” read the statement of facts, as added to the record by the clerk. “She was dazed and confused, and both of her eyes became heavily bruised.”
Graham then “smashed her iPhone 8 in her face.” The victim then fled to a shelter.
Graham appeared in court virtually from Central North Corrections Centre on Jan. 9, where he is now serving five years for attempted murder in connection with the Walmart shooting that led Greater Sudbury police on a month-long manhunt.
The shooting in 2022 was reported to police shortly before 8:45 p.m. on March 31, when two men were involved in an altercation inside of the doors. One of the men, now identified as Graham, shot the other man before fleeing the scene prior to police arrival.
The victim sustained a serious but non-life-threatening injury as a result of the incident, which police described as targeted and isolated, as the two men knew each other.
The search for Graham began.
On April 1, 2022, police believed Graham to be inside of a residential building on Melvin Street, and set up a containment area around the address. While the search did not locate Graham, a search warrant allowed them to apply for and issue an arrest warrant.
A public appeal and reward for information soon followed.
More than a month later on May 5, Graham was arrested and charged with attempted murder with a firearm, unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized, pointing a firearm and failing to comply with a judicial release order.
For these charges, Graham was represented by defence attorney Glenn Sandberg, and he was sentenced to five years in prison.
The assault Graham pleaded guilty to on Jan. 9 occurred in advance of the shooting, and a joint submission by the Crown’s Alyssa Caverson and defence attorney Sandberg, saw a recommendation for a 12-month sentence, to be served concurrent to his five-year sentence.
In his submission to Justice Louise Serré, Sandberg spoke of the troubles Graham has faced in “such a short time” and said his client found himself “in conflict with authority at a very young age.”
Graham did not receive a high level of education until now, said Sandberg, noting that Graham had achieved his Grade 12 education and although he once struggled with drugs, he is now sober.
“Has been clean for just over a year, helped with the use of Suboxone and medical supervision,” said Sandberg. “And his plans when he is released, although that day is still some time away, is to try and develop his education further and, to use his words, ‘stay out of trouble’.”
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter for Sudbury.com
