Jury reaches verdict in 2022 fatal stabbing of Good Samaritan in Bradford

A jury found Brandon Aaron guilty of fatally stabbing David Goddard 20 times.

A jury has found Brandon Aaron guilty of second-degree murder and assault following a violent incident in Bradford three years ago that left a 59-year-old man, who police called a Good Samaritan, dead.

The jury took about two hours to reach its verdict Thursday, convicting Aaron of stabbing David Goddard 20 times and assaulting his then-girlfriend in the early morning hours of Sept. 4, 2022.

According to the Crown, the attack happened on Holland Street West around 3 a.m., after Aaron and the young woman, then a teenager, had been out drinking in downtown Bradford. The court heard she became upset with Aaron for losing her cellphone, and the situation quickly escalated.

The Crown said Aaron held a knife to her throat and later broke her arm with a flashlight she had borrowed from a nearby gas station to search for her phone.

It was then that Goddard, a bystander, stepped in to help the woman. The Crown told the court Aaron became enraged, pulled out a steak knife, and fatally stabbed Goddard over and over before leaving him on the side of the road.

The defence argued Aaron acted in self-defence and was frightened by Goddard, who was both older and larger.

“He was fearful for his life,” said defence lawyer Eugene Bhattacharya. He described Goddard’s behaviour as provocative and said Aaron’s ability to understand what was happening that night was impaired by intoxication.

During the trial, the young woman offered a different account from what she had originally told police just hours after the stabbing. On the witness stand she claimed she broke her own arm that night and said Goddard had simply offered to take her home.

Goddard’s family believes she was “very heavily influenced” by Aaron.

“He didn’t care, by the looks of it, didn’t let anything stand in the way between him and his girlfriend,” said Donald Ayers, Goddard’s brother-in-law.

The defence urged the jury to find Aaron not guilty of murder if they were left with any reasonable double about whether he acted out of fear.

Ultimately, the jury wasn’t swayed by the defence.

“We’re very pleased that justice has been done and we can put this behind us,” said Ayers. “David would go out of his way to help someone. A little bit of a hole in our family now, but we’re going to be able to put him to rest and continue on with our lives.”

Goddard’s family said they hope the man who took his life learns from his mistakes. “Use this time that you’ve got ahead of yourself to turn your life around,” Ayers said.

Aaron is scheduled to return to court next week when a date is expected to be set for his sentencing hearing.

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