Brodie Nicholls pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of Jesse Clark

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Brodie Nicholls has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the stabbing death of 14-year-old Jesse Clarke last August. He had originally been charged with second degree murder.

Lisa Hepfner was in court and has this report.

Jesse Clarke’s supporters marched in front of the courthouse after Brodie Nicholls’ guilty plea. Jesse’s father Blaire Clarke was hoping the case would go to trial. “He’s threatened Jesse beforehand, so in my eyes it’s intended. He intended to kill my son. So he should be first degree murder.”

14 year old Jesse Clarke was with about nine other teens that night. They loosely associate with a neighbourhood gang, in which members are expected to stick up for one another. If one member calls, the others come. When they spoke to police, they had different accounts of what happened and why, the night Jesse Clarke died. Neighbours saw the hooded teens make their way down Gordon street, near Barton, to where Brodie Nicholls was living, and confront his foster mother outside. Nicholls grabbed a knife that had been left on the porch after a meal, and approached. The group surrounded Nicholls and started beating him. They had at least one stick and one metal rod, which left cuts and bruises. When police were called the gang started to flee; Jesse Clarke was the last to leave. Brodie Nicholls followed him, and moments later Nicholls stabbed Clarke in the heart.

Clarke’s friends and family sobbed as those details were read, some so much they rushed from the courtroom.
Nicholls has no gang ties or prior criminal record. His lawyer, Beth Bromberg, believes there was more than one victim. “This case has been a tragedy for every single person involved, including my client.”

Brodie Nicholls comes back to court to be sentenced on August 14th. That’s just four days before the anniversary of Jesse Clarke’s death.