Accused double murderer Wareham makes appearance

The man accused of murder in two fatal stabbings on Montreal Street in Kingston in September made a brief court appearance today, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, and heard an additional 17 names added to the list of people he is not to contact while in custody. The total number of non-contact orders in the case is now over 50 different people.

Justice of the Peace Meredith Porter presided virtually over a packed docket at the Ontario Court of Justice on Wellington Street in Kingston. The accused, Andre Wareham, appeared by video from Central East Correctional Centre near Lindsay, Ontario. 

Wareham appeared near the end of the list of cases, in the late afternoon. He wore a black durag and the customary orange jumpsuit issued to men in the custody of provincial Corrections.

Provincial Crown attorney Shawn Eagles asked the court to add 17 names to Wareham’s no-contact list. Porter agreed, reading the names aloud while Wareham quietly listened.

No-contact orders are typically issued under specific circumstances in Ontario, including witness protection or protection of a victim from threats. The Crown and the court consider various factors, including the severity of the offence, when deciding on a no-contact order.

Last month, Justice of the Peace Jack Chiang added nine names to Wareham’s no-contact order, and in October, 25 individuals' names were added to the list and read aloud for Wareham.

Wareham’s defence attorney, Steven Hinkson of Hinkson Law in Toronto, sent a message through the duty counsel requesting that the matter be adjourned to January so that he could speak with the Crown and set a date for a judicial trial.

Wareham, 47, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in the violent stabbing attacks that took place on and around Montreal Street on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Those attacks led to the deaths of 38-year-old Taylor Wilkinson and 41-year-old John Hood, and the hospitalization of a third unidentified victim.