A chance encounter by two men from the Toronto area around a kitchen table at a home in Chatham’s east end last year turned deadly after several gunshots and a brutal stabbing.
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Marvin Garraway, 36, was originally charged with second-degree murder in the death of Randall Rouse, 28. Dressed in a purple dress shirt and light gray pants, Garraway calmly sat in the prisoner’s box during the proceeding.
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He appeared in Chatham Superior Court on Friday afternoon to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter and an additional charge of using a firearm after committing an unspeakable offense.
According to the agreed statement of facts presented to the court by assistant Crown attorney Scott Kerwin, Garraway and Rouse didn’t know each other when they met at a home on Colborne Street in the late afternoon of Oct. 7, 2022.
The men had words and then Rouse asked Garraway to step outside of the house, Kerwin said.
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Rouse also asked Garraway if they were going to have a problem, but Garraway gave no response, the Crown said.
Kerwin said Rouse approached Garraway and pulled out a .22-caliber handgun and the two men ended up in a struggle, during which Rouse shot Garraway twice, once in the abdomen and once in the arm.
Garraway managed to grab a knife and repeatedly stabbed Rouse, before getting hold of the gun and shooting Rouse in the head area before fleeing the home, court was told.
Four short, grainy video clips from what appeared to be some type of surveillance video in the kitchen where the incident occurred were entered into evidence. The first three videos showed people talking then chaos erupted during the fourth video with several shots being fired as Garraway and Rouse were in a struggle. Garraway could be seen reaching for a knife on a counter before stabbing Rouse several times.
More shots were fired as Garraway fled the house.
Kerwin noted Garraway went to a London hospital to be treated for his gunshot wounds and Rouse was taken to the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, where he was later pronounced dead.
The autopsy revealed Garraway stabbed Rouse nine times in the head, neck and chest area, but it was a single stab wound that proved fatal.
Garraway, who was remanded into custody, is scheduled to return to court Feb. 5, 2024, for sentencing that will include sentencing submissions from the Crown and defence, as well as victim impact statements.
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