THUNDER BAY – A second accused in the death of 29-year-old Adrian Richardson has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, while the remaining two suspects wait to stand trial this spring.
Aiden Collander, 23, entered a guilty plea at the Thunder Bay Courthouse earlier this week on Monday.
He is yet to be convicted or sentenced and will next return to court in September of this year to allow time for pre-sentence reports to be completed.
Thunder Bay police responded to the 400 block of Hodder Avenue to investigate a shooting incident on May 2, 2022 around 11:30 p.m. A man with serious injuries was located .
The man was later identified as Richardson. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
In June 2022, police arrested four suspects: Telique Ricketts, 24, of Toronto, and Henok Daniel Banjaw, 32, Jacob Green, 22, and Collander, 23, all from Thunder Bay.
All four men were charged with first-degree murder.
Green pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter in July 2024 and he was sentenced on Dec. 20, 2024 to four years in jail. With credit for time served applied, Green only had 75 more days in custody left to serve. He was also sentenced to 12 months of probation and a 10-year weapons prohibition.
All four accused individuals in Richardson’s death have had the first-degree murder charge against them withdrawn.
Ricketts is now facing a second-degree murder charge and Banjaw is charged with manslaughter.
A jury trial for both accused could begin in April. The case is expected to be addressed in court next month.
