Warning: Details in this article may be disturbing to readers.
Two Alliston, Ont. men accused of murder have pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the April 2023 killing of Derek Perry, whose remains have yet to be recovered.
Brothers-in-law Brendon Blanchard, 26, and John ‘Eddy’ Gagnon, 32, pleaded guilty to manslaughter about 16 months after the men were charged by provincial police for Perry’s killing.
Charged with second-degree murder in the summer of 2025, Blanchard and Gagnon were arrested with 37-year-old Krystal Carleton, who was charged with being an accessory after-the-fact to murder. The allegations against Carleton have not been tested in court.
As part of an Agreed Statement of Facts, the court heard Carleton was driving Perry, Gagnon, and Blanchard to a party on April 16, 2023, when a fight broke out in the backseat of her Ford Escape.
The court heard the argument erupted over a threat made by Perry against Blanchard and Gagnon’s family members. Blanchard and Gagnon admitted to being heavily intoxicated by alcohol and drugs at the time of the deadly beating.
According to Carleton, she could heard screams coming from the backseat. The attack on Perry, the court heard, lasted for about 15 minutes, when it became clear Perry was dead.
Afraid of what was happening in the backseat of her car, Carleton said she kept her eyes on the road and was told to keep driving. Gagnon and Blanchard admitted to stopping at a friend’s home to clean themselves up, Gagnon was covered in blood.
Eventually Carleton drove the men for more than five hours to Kirkland Lake, where Blanchard’s father lived, with plans to dispose of Perry’s body which had been concealed in the backseat of the SUV, which she later scrapped.
Their lawyers said Gagnon and Blanchard expressed remorse for their actions. The court heard both men had tragic upbringings plagued by childhood trauma and instability that led to years of drug abuse including crack cocaine, fentanyl, and crystal meth.
Perry had been struggling with homelessness at the time of his death, according to police, and was reported missing by loved ones two months later.
It is unclear how Perry died or where his remains were disposed of when Gagnon and Blanchard disappeared for a few hours and returned without his body.
Justice Robert Gattrell was presented with a joint submission by the Crown and defence seeking an eight-year sentence for Gagnon and Blanchard, less time served in pre-sentence custody.
Their sentencing hearing is scheduled for December, when it is expected the court will hear victim impact statements from Perry’s loved ones.
