In a Toronto courtroom Thursday, people in the gallery could hear a secret recorded audio message which was played at a murder trial of a Toronto man killed in 2023.

The undercover officer who testified — known as TJ, in order to protect the officer’s identity — can be heard discussing how she became involved in the investigation of Brianna Warner, the accused person of interest in the killing of Jai Parker-Ford.

Parker-Ford was fatally shot outside his 14th floor apartment on Lawrence Avenue East near Orton Park Road on Dec. 16, 2022, around 4:30 a.m. and died from a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.

Only those involved in the proceedings, including lawyers, the judge, the jury and court staff, could see the undercover officer because a large screen divided the courtroom in half.

TJ took to the stands to explain her undercover operations on Feb. 20, 2023 when she got a call from Toronto police. She was asked to do a “deployment” and meet with Warner. 

“I was to build rapport. To basically try to get some social media and some contact information. I could get to know her and she could get to know me well,” TJ testified.

She said Warner only knew her by her alias TJ, which she told the 18-year-old stood for Taniesha Jean.

In that time, she learned Warner sold things online and they talked about boys, nails, hair and general girl chit chat.

TJ said she learned Toronto police got authorization from a judge for her to use a secret recording device— also known as a wire — so she could record conversations with Warner.

TJ said she next met with Warner on April 3, 2023 and then April 6, 2023. Both times she was wearing a wire.

On April 6th, TJ said she was driving Warner and her mother, back to the family’s Scarborough home and testified that Warner and her mother got into an argument.

An audio recording of the argument was played in court.

In the audio recording, Warner can be heard telling her mother to shut up before saying, “Remember when you asked me who shot that guy in the head? I did that. I have anger issues, so leave me the f- alone.”

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TJ told assistant Crown attorney Rob Fried the voices on the recording are Warner and her mother.

TJ also said to Fried that she and Warner were developing a friendship and at no point did she think that Warner knew about her status as a police officer.

On April 7th, again while wearing a wire, TJ spoke about what she said her mother in the car.

The audio recording was again played in court.

In this recording, TJ can be heard speaking to Warner, and asking her about the argument in the car.

“Do you know what I’m going to ask about? What was that about?” TJ can be heard saying.

Warner can be heard saying her mother was talking to her like an “idiot” before she explains what she meant in the car.

“I’ll show you what I’m talk about. He didn’t die right away. He was brain dead. When I shot him, it was so cool. When I shot him, it went right through. I seen the hole. I ran away,” TJ can be heard saying.

Warner tells TJ she was still in the area when police got there and ran by houses, running all the way home.

TJ is heard swearing and asks if it happened nearby. “No, no, Orton Park,” Warner replied.

“Basically, he was very unresponsive. His eyes were wide open. He was just bleeding out. He looked dead so I’m like he must be dead and they’re like he’s in stable condition. He’s on life support. He’s alive and he’s breathing but he’s dead,” Warner told TJ, laughing.

“He died on the 18th. I did it on the 16th,” Warner can be heard telling TJ. When TJ asks who the guy, she can be heard telling TJ they had sex when she was 12.

“So I had the chance. Why not get it done?” Warner told TJ before saying the name, “Jai Parker-Ford.”

TJ responds, “Jai Parker?” before Warner agrees “yeah.”

Warner told TJ her mother saw her leaving the night of the shooting and later asked her about it.

“It was funny because she asked me, I left that night, she seen me leaving that night and then she asked me in the morning, ‘Do you know who did that?’ I’m like ‘I don’t know’,” Warner explained to TJ, laughing.

Warner then shows TJ articles and videos about the shootings from the news on her phone and tells her it happened on Dec. 16th. TJ asked her where she got the gun. Warner replies, “her ex.” She also said she did it alone.

Warner also tells TJ in the recording that she wrote a rap about the shooting which she called “Brain Dead.” “You’re going to have to show me. Can you perform it for me?” TJ is heard asking.

The undercover officer can then be heard reading out the lyrics. “A pretty sight but I’ll drain the blood straight outta you,” TJ says, reading from the lyrics. “Your friend is dead … Moving like y’all the one unresponsible and brain dead,” she continues.

The rap sheet containing the lyrics was shown at the trial Thursday.

The audio recording involving the conversation between TJ and Warner has been sealed to protect the undercover officer’s identify.

During cross-examination, defence lawyer Katie Scott asked TJ about her experience as an undercover officer. “There were three undercovers available for this project, and you were the least experienced of the three?” Scott queried. TJ agreed.

Scott then asked her about some of the objectives she was tasked with but didn’t find out. “One of the objectives was to find out what floor the shooting was on?”

“No, I didn’t find that out,” TJ replied.

Scott also pointed out TJ failed to ascertain how Warner left the building or what route she took home.

Scott said that all TJ learned was that Warner went from house to house, pointing out that Warner’s home was up to 600 houses away and included walking through a large ravine.

“You didn’t find out where the gloves or the gun went?” said Scott. “You didn’t ask what Jai Parker-Ford was wearing? You didn’t find out what type of gun was used?”

“No, I did not,” TJ replied.

“Those are all of my questions,” Scott said.

Warner has pleaded not guilty. The trial continues.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown says the killing of Savannah Kulla, a 29-year-old mother who was shot dead in a Brampton parking lot this week, is proof Canada’s bail system is “failing” victims.

In a press conference Thursday afternoon, Brown, alongside Peel Regional Police Supt. David Kennedy, said the accused, Anthony DeShepper, who shot and killed Kulla should never have been out on bail given his violent history.

Police say Kulla was shot Tuesday afternoon after meeting DeShepper, her former partner, to let him spend time with their 17-month-old daughter.

DeShepper fled the scene with the child, prompting an Amber Alert across Ontario. Hours later, police found him in Niagara Falls, where he was shot and killed during an interaction with officers.

Now their daughter, along with Kulla’s three sons, are motherless.

“Our system has failed Savannah Kulla,” said Brown, who is renewing calls for urgent bail reform after the tragedy.

“This tragedy was predictable and preventable.”

While police and SIU continue to investigate the tragedy, the spotlight has now fallen on Desheppers’ violent past and has raised questions on his bail release.

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Kennedy confirmed that DeShepper had an “extensive criminal past” that included robbery, assault and weapons offences, and that he was bound by several court orders not to contact Kulla or possess firearms.

“Clearly, his release posed a significant risk to Savannah and others in our community,” Kennedy said.

Brown compared the case to the 2020 killing of Darion Henderson-Bellman, another Brampton woman shot by a partner who was out on bail for weapons offences.

“We said never again,” Brown said. “Now I hope that this legislation is passed swiftly, because this legislation needs to have been passed not just today but frankly yesterday,” Brown said.

The Brampton tragedy came the same week Ottawa announced a new package of bail and sentencing reforms aimed at keeping repeat violent offenders behind bars.

Public Safety Minister Sean Fraser said the proposed changes would make it harder for those accused of serious crimes to be released before trial, including charges on firearms offences and intimate-partner violence.

The legislation would introduce reverse-onus bail in some cases, meaning accused individuals would have to prove why they should be released. It would also allow for consecutive sentences for repeat offenders and add 1,000 new RCMP officers to help enforce the changes.

Brown said Brampton was one of the first cities to petition for stricter bail rules, including reverse-onus for repeat violent offenders and zero tolerance for breaches of weapons prohibitions.

“There is no reason that person should not have been in custody,” Brown said. “We owe that to Savannah Kulla,” he added.

The victim’s mother, Karen Kulla, told Global News in an interview that her daughter feared DeShepper might kill her.

She said to me a month ago, ‘If I stay with him, he’s going to end up killing me,’” she said through tears.

Peel police have declared gender-based violence an epidemic, and Brown said new laws are only part of the solution.

“By updating the Criminal Code we are making progress,” Brown said.

“But at the same time, there are major gaps there as well. Without proper funding and local implementation, high-risk offenders may slip through the cracks, and families like Savannah Cula’s will continue to pay the price.”

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Industry Minister Melanie Joly says she has given General Motors 15 days to deliver a full update on its “next steps” for workers at its plant in Ingersoll, Ont., after ending production there earlier this week.

“Canadian workers deserve clarity and action, not uncertainty,” Joly said in a brief social media statement after meeting with representatives from GM, Unifor and the Ontario government Thursday.

Separately, a government source told Global News that Ottawa will limit the number of vehicles GM and Stellantis can import tariff-free from the United States to sell in Canada.

The move, which was first reported by CBC News Thursday evening, comes after the government vowed to hold both companies accountable for threatening auto manufacturing jobs in Canada by shutting down production at two plants in Ontario.

General Motors said Tuesday that the decision to end production of the BrightDrop electric delivery van at its CAMI plant was demand-related, and it wasn’t moving production elsewhere.

The company had already temporarily cut production in April before fully idling the plant in May, leaving more than 1,200 unionized workers temporarily laid off. The plant was supposed to restart operations in November with a single shift that would have meant around half that number heading back to work.

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Joly said she was putting together a “response group” with the goal of bringing a new model to be produced at the plant.

GM’s announcement came less than a week after Stellantis said it was moving production of its Jeep Compass from its plant in Brampton, Ont., to Illinois, as part of a surge of investment to the U.S.

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Conservatives want to know if Stellantis deal had a jobs guarantee

Joly has said the government was considering all its options, “including legal,” to hold the company accountable for the move. She has suggested Stellantis broke promises to protect Canadian jobs and investment in exchange for billions of dollars in federal subsidies.

Conservatives have sought to find out if the contracts signed between Stellantis and Ottawa included “guarantees” for Canadian autoworkers.

The federal government in April said companies that continue to manufacture vehicles in Canada will get an exemption from Ottawa’s retaliatory tariffs in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s auto tariffs.

Ottawa’s move to limit those tariff-free imports for GM and Stellantis means they will no longer be eligible for that exemption.

Trump has said his tariffs are intended to drive auto manufacturing back to the United States, and his administration wants future North American supply chains to prioritize American production.

During a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House early this month, Trump said the two sides were working on “formulas” for auto production and supply that Carney said would ensure both countries’ industries remain both collaborative and competitive.

Auto manufacturing is also expected to take centre stage during next July’s review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on free trade.

More to come…

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