Gang-affiliated career criminal convicted of second-degree murder of Jesse Kennedy in Mission in 2023
Circumstantial evidence, including CCTV and data from an electronic monitoring device, enough to convict John Ross Powers of second-degree murder
March 20, 2026
Jesse Patrick Kennedy was a “caring young man trapped in his addiction,” according to the former co-ordinator of Street Hope Mission, a program supported by New Heights Church in Mission.
“Jesse was always one of the first to volunteer to help cleaning up after our breakfast program was over,” Shelagh Nielsen told Something Worth Reading about Kennedy several months ago when the trial began. “Jesse had a special place in the thoughts of all the volunteers that worked along side me.”
Kennedy often had stretches of sobriety, but like so many people struggling, he would return to drugs, trapped in his addiction.
While the exact details will likely never be known, solid circumstantial evidence was enough to convict 39-year-old John Ross Powers of killing Kennedy in 2023.
A combination of CCTV footage and data from Powers’ own court-ordered electronic monitoring device, along with other physical evidence, proved his actions correlated with the time and location that Kennedy was stabbed in neck and chest severing an artery and puncturing his lung.
“I find that the only reasonable inference to be drawn from the evidence taken as a whole is that Powers attacked Kennedy on the lower trail and inflicted the stab wounds to Kennedy's neck and chest,” Justice Ian Caldwell said in courtroom 403 at the Abbotsford Law Courts Friday (March 20, 2026) morning.
“I find that Powers' description of his movement on July 13 is objectively proven to be untrue. It was self-serving, it was intended to deceive.”
It was July 13, 2023 before 6 p.m., when police were called to a location near the intersection of Lougheed Highway and Highway 11 in Mission. Officers found Kennedy suffering from stab wounds to his neck and chest. He was taken to hospital where he died of his injuries.
Powers was arrested at the scene.
Drawn-out investigation, court case
Almost two-and-a-half years after Kennedy’s death and numerous pre-trial hearings, Powers’ five-week second-degree murder trial began on Nov. 13, 2025. The case began in front of judge and a jury of 11 women and one man in B.C. Supreme Court in Abbotsford. For reasons that have not been made clear, Justice Caldwell later dismissed the jury and the case concluded by judge alone.
Four days after the murder, on July 17, 2023, the Lower Mainland Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) issued a news release including a photo of 42-year-old Jesse Kennedy in hopes of advancing the investigation. IHIT was looking for anyone who might have witnessed the killing or any altercation or interaction between Kennedy, Powers, or others.
“Anyone who had seen or spoken with Mr. Kennedy in the days leading up to his death are asked to speak with IHIT,” spokesperson Sgt. Timothy Pierotti said at the time.
It was believed that the two men knew one another, although Pierotti said police didn’t know the nature of the relationship.
“I can say that this was not a random stranger attack.”
There were no direct eyewitnesses to the incident where Kennedy was killed.
On the first day of the trial, Justice Caldwell gave lengthy direction to the jury, and Crown counsel introduced an overview of its case followed by an agreed statement of facts, which included several examples of CCTV footage taken from local businesses with time stamps compared to real time.
In rendering his decision on Friday, Justice Caldwell pointed to several pieces of evidence arrest that pointed to guilt.
“I find that Powers' actions in actively flattening his shirttail, spitting on it, and rubbing it… along the back of the police car post-arrest constitute actions intended to interfere with or destroy evidence, which could have proven or supported his involvement in Kennedy’s death.
“I find that the only reasonable inference to be drawn from the evidence taken as a whole, is that Powers attacked Kennedy on the lower trail and inflicted the stab wounds to Kennedy's neck and chest.”
Nielsen said that Jesse was a great artist and was looking forward to going to school before an alleged incident where someone spiked a drink, which led Kennedy back into addiction.
“Jessie was often the target of bullying because of his sweet nature,” Nielsen said. “His death effects me even now and his loss still brings tears to my eyes. He will never be forgotten. Jessie matters.”
After the conviction on March 20, the case was adjourned and put over to a future date for a sentencing hearing at which parole eligibility will be decided. Second-degree murder comes with a mandatory life sentence with no chance of parole for between 10 and 25 years.
A history of violence
Powers has a lengthy and serious criminal history. A year before he was arrested and charged with killing Kennedy, he was charged with stabbing a homeless man in Mission, Arthur Lonsdale on Sept. 12, 2022.
And 14 years ago he and five other men kidnapped a wealthy Metro Vancouver man in an attempt to get a million-dollar ransom. Powers was actually under police surveillance when he and five other men participated in the kidnapping attempt. Officers witnessed the attack by two of the men and performed an emergency takedown. The four others were later arrested and charged. Five of the men pleaded guilty to the kidnapping, but one was deemed unfit to stand trial after suffering a serious beating in prison.
Powers was sentenced to six years in prison. He was later given a further four years to be served consecutively after a covert search warrant of an apartment he rented to store weapons for one of the co-conspirators turned up five semi-automatic rifles, two other rifles, a submachine gun, a pistol, a revolver, a silencer, along with 797 rounds of ammunition.
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Paul J. Henderson
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