Mall thief pleads guilty in store owner’s death
Attacker returns to court Oct. 17 for sentencing in manslaughter case
A man who punched a store owner during the course of a robbery at a South Edmonton mall last year pleaded guilty to manslaughter Friday for his role in the man’s death.
Jordan Martin Cushnie, 24, admitted to repeatedly punching 61-year-old John Iain Armstrong in the face on April 17, 2018, after the older man intervened as Cushnie attempted to make off with a cosmetics kiosk’s cash box.
Cushnie punched Armstrong six times after the older man grabbed his arm. After the last punch, Armstrong hit his head on another kiosk while falling to the ground.
Armstrong went into cardiac arrest and was bleeding from a wound to his head, according to an agreed statement of facts filed with the court. He later died in University of Alberta hospital after being taken off life support.
Cushnie was initially charged with second-degree murder but admitted to the offence of manslaughter.
He wore a blue dress shirt and showed no outward emotion as he entered guilty pleas to charges of manslaughter, robbery and breach of probation in Edmonton Court of Queen’s Bench Friday.
Armstrong owned and operated the Bunches flower store on the main floor of Southgate Centre.
Court heard Cushnie was 23 at the time of the offence and had no fixed address. He had entered into a two-year probation order on Feb. 2, 2017, after a conviction for assault causing bodily harm, according to an agreed statement of facts.
Cushnie arrived at the mall just before 9:45 a.m. on April 17, 2018, entering through its west entrance.
CCTV camera footage captured him walking through the mall, eventually meeting up with several unidentified individuals.
They then made their way to an area near an Adore Cosmetics Kiosk, where they lingered for a few seconds.
At around 10:17 a.m., Cushnie, who had been standing with four other males, approached the cosmetics kiosk’s cash box, which was
Cushnie immediately turned to face Mr. Armstrong and struck him in the face with a closed right fist.
secured to the kiosk with a wire. Cushnie produced a pair of wire cutters, and began working to free the cash box.
Armstrong, meanwhile, had come out of his flower shop about 25 feet away, to watch what Cushnie was doing.
When the younger man successfully cut the box free, Armstrong approached Cushnie and grabbed his left arm.
“In response, Cushnie immediately turned to face Mr. Armstrong and struck him in the face with a closed right fist,” the agreed facts states.
Armstrong, who stood sixfoot-five and weighed about 265 pounds, attempted to defend himself, but Cushnie was able to deliver six strikes to his face and head.
After the last blow, Armstrong struck his head on the corner of a Freedom Mobile Kiosk and collapsed to the ground.
Cushnie then ran off, fleeing the shopping centre from the north exit.
In all, the attack on Armstrong lasted eight seconds.
Court heard Armstrong was unresponsive on the floor, bleeding “profusely” from a large laceration from his forehead to the top of his head.
He suffered a spinal cord injury which left him unable to breath, causing him to go into cardiac arrest.
When paramedics arrived a few minutes later, mall security were already performing CPR.
Crews rushed Armstrong to University of Alberta Hospital, where he was found to have an “unsurvivable fracture of the cervical spine (the backbone of the neck) with spinal cord injuries.” He suffered total paralysis below the neck and was unable to breathe on his own or maintain a heartbeat.
Armstrong’s family made the decision to take him off life support on April 20, 2018, the agreed facts state. He died “almost immediately.”
According to an obituary, Armstrong was born in Liberia and immigrated to Canada in 1967. He loved sports and the outdoors, studied economics in university and played for the University of Manitoba Bisons. He was drafted by the B.C. Lions CFL team but suffered a career-ending knee injury.
In 1991, Armstrong and his wife and children started their flower business, which eventually grew to five locations.
Cushnie’s defence requested a Gladue report be prepared ahead of sentencing. Gladue reports examine systemic factors that may have contributed to an Indigenous person’s criminal behaviour.
Oct. 17 has tentatively been set aside for a sentencing hearing.