Torbay man found guilty of attempted murder after shooting victim 4 times in face, neck

A Torbay man — who for two years claimed he had nothing to do with the near-death of an acquaintance — in fact tried to kill his victim by shooting him four times in the face and neck with a handgun, a St. John's judge ruled Friday.

David Reardon appeared in provincial court by video Friday to find Judge Phyllis Harris didn't accept his testimony, and that witness statements and the physical evidence gathered in the case — such as the victim's blood on Reardon's boots — was enough to find him guilty of attempted murder.

Reardon was arrested in March 2023, two days after police arrived at a Torbay home to find the victim bleeding alarmingly from the neck.

He'd been shot with a small-calibre handgun at close range, with bullets striking his chin, neck, upper shoulder and thumb, where he'd tried to stem the flow of blood from his neck.

Reardon maintained he had nothing to do with the shooting, testifying in February he'd been fast asleep the night the man was shot and telling the court his boots had blood on them because of his occupation.

"I live on a farm," he told Judge Harris. "I kill chickens and ducks on a regular basis."

In her decision Friday, Harris said Reardon's testimony conflicted at times with the testimony of his landlord, who also told the court Reardon was asleep the night the victim was shot. Harris said the timelines contained in the two accounts didn't consistently match and therefore weren't entirely reliable.

Harris noted all witnesses were vague when questioned about the nature of the conflict between Reardon and the man he shot. Reardon testified they were not in disagreement over a romantic interest, and that he was civil with the man, but didn't like him due to "thievery."

Reardon maintained he only learned what happened to the victim when he was arrested.

Harris said she didn't find Reardon's account "sufficiently reliable," and noted she found no issues with the victim's testimony, nor that of another witness who was present during the shooting.

Harris said it was reasonable to believe Reardon intended to kill the man due to the number of shots fired, his proximity to the victim, and the fact that the victim had fallen to the ground gushing blood after Reardon shot him, and was presumably dying.

There is also no reason to believe Reardon would shoot the man in the neck and head if not to kill him, Harris added.

Reardon will return to court in April to set a date for a sentencing hearing. He was also found guilty of a spate of firearms-related charges in connection with the attack.

The mandatory minimum sentence for attempted murder with a firearm is five years for a first offence.

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