A St. John’s man who initially faced a murder charge in connection with the 2022 death of a boarding home housemate has pleaded guilty to a lesser offence.

Forty-year-old Dwayne Eugene Ginn has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the stabbing death of Mark Hamlyn last year.

In the early morning hours of June 14, 2022, the 38-year-old Hamlyn was found bleeding and seriously injured outside Hennessey’s Guest Home at 222 Old Bay Bulls Road in Kilbride, where he and Ginn both lived. 

Hamlyn was rushed to hospital by ambulance, but he succumb to his injuries.

According to the agreed statement of facts, the RNC received a report at 2:30 that morning that a man had been stabbed at the home. While en route, officers saw Ginn walking north on Old Bay Bulls Road, just south of Tobin’s Road while on his way from downtown. He had blood on his hand and sock. Ginn told the officers that he had been punched in the head by another male.

They offered Ginn a ride back to the guest home. When they pulled around the rear of the house, they saw a male, lying unconscious and bloodied on the ground near the step. He was unresponsive. There was a large folding knife near him. The man was identified as Hamlyn and Ginn was arrested after one of the other residents identified him as the one responsible.

Ginn said to officers, “Well, I wasn’t going to let him kill me.”

Ginn said while he smoking marijuana on the back step, Hamlyn confronted him, upset and shouting that he had been awoken by the smell. Ginn said Hamlyn knocked the joint out of his hand and began punching him in the face. Ginn said he was able to get away, at which point he pulled out a knife and swung it at Hamlyn and told him to back off. The two charged towards one another and fell on the rear steps while they fought.

Ginn initially said he tripped on the stairs and fell on Hamlyn with the knife in his hand. He then said, he threw the knife on the ground before fighting with Hamlyn. He admitted he was on top of Hamlyn and punched him a number of times before another resident pulled him off.

When asked about the relationship between Ginn and Hamlyn, one of the residents told police that Ginn had a tendency to stay up late and speak loudly to himself, which aggravated Hamlyn. The two often argued about it.

The autopsy revealed Hamlyn had suffered a stab wound to his groin and his upper back, along with cuts to his head, chin and arm.

Forensic identification officers who analyzed the scene confirmed that Hamlyn’s blood was on the knife and that DNA from both Hamlyn and Ginn was on the knife hilt. Hamlyn’s blood was also found on Ginn’s clothes.

Ginn had initially pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and had a jury trial set for November.

He’ll be back in court in December for his sentencing hearing.