A surprise turn of events this morning in the trial of a man charged with two random and violent home invasions in St. John’s.
Jonathan Hurley and Justin Haynes, both in their mid-30s, were charged after the frightening attacks in the centre of the city and later on a private lane in the east end.
They were both charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, uttering threats, and break and entry.
The back-to-back break-ins happened on a Monday night in September of 2022, and left one man stabbed and fighting for his life, while a couple in their 80s were beaten up and robbed.
Within a day, police arrested both suspects, with Hurley famously greeting the courtroom with a double-middle-finger salute.
Jonathon Hurley and Justin Haynes are shown in court after being arrested last fall.
Haynes, the lesser player in the attacks, sang like a canary, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to 5-1/2-years in prison, which he’s currently serving at the federal Springhill Institution in Nova Scotia.
In a bizarre twist, he changed much of his story this week, saying Hurley wasn’t involved, despite his initial admissions and video evidence of them together on the night in question.
Nonetheless, in the middle of Hurley’s trial this morning, his lawyer, Jason Edwards, announced plans to change his pleas to guilty, though it’s not yet clear what he will be pleading guilty to.
That’s expected to be revealed in Supreme Court on Thursday morning.
The case will then be adjourned pending the sentencing phase.
