Hamilton man pleaded guilty to manslaughter in beating death of his dad Jacob Ardagna

Ryan Cannon beat his dad, Jacob Ardagna, during a drug-fuelled argument over money and left the 47-year-old to die in his King Street East apartment nearly a year ago.

Cannon and his girlfriend Victoria Rolfe were both charged with second-degree murder after Ardagna's body was found following a 911 call at the couple's apartment. On Oct. 7, Cannon, who was 27 when he was arrested, pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The charge against Rolfe, who was 25 at the time, is expected to be withdrawn.

Ardagna had just moved into the couple's apartment unit at 2130 King St. E. four days before his Oct. 27, 2021 death, assistant Crown attorney Brian Adsett told the court, reading from an agreed statement of facts. Ardagna had been released from jail Oct. 18.

Both men had problems with substance abuse and at this time Ryan was using fentanyl on a daily basis with his partner," Adsett said, adding that the couple also had financial problems and was behind on rent payments.

On the night of Oct. 26, the father and son spent the evening together into the early morning hours of Oct. 27 when Cannon - who was high on fentanyl - got into a heated argument with his dad about money.

This led to a fight at the back of the apartment where Cannon struck (Ardagna) several times with a wooden stick," Adsett said. He then forcefully" took his dad back into the apartment building shortly before 4 a.m. where the argument and assault continued.

Cannon left at 8 a.m. to work construction, leaving Rolfe and his dad - who remained injured on a mattress - in the apartment, he said. During the day, Cannon called several times to check on his dad, but no medical help was sought.

Cannon returned home around 4 p.m. and they remained at the apartment until Rolfe called 911 at 7:39 p.m.

When paramedics and police arrived, they found the apartment in disarray and Ardagna cold and non-responsive, Adsett said. After 21 minutes of life-saving efforts, he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy showed Ardagna died from multiple blunt force injuries, including fractures and lacerations to his scalp and face.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Pickup found that a considerable amount of force" and multiple strikes or blows" would have been required to cause the bruises and fractures, Adsett said. Injuries across Ardagna's chest and abdomen were consistent with being hit with a stick.

Court also heard Ardagna had fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine in his system, but at very low concentrations that did not contribute to his death.

After convicting Cannon, Ontario Court Justice Michael Wendl remarked that the photos taken of the apartment scene showed it was a bad assault," however, manslaughter was clearly the right charge. The judge commended Adsett and Cannon's defence lawyer Jordana Goldlist for good work" to get the right results in this case."

Manslaughter is when someone causes a death, but did not mean to kill the person. It falls short of murder, which is an intentional homicide, but is more than an accident.

The Spectator has previously reported that Ardagna had five children, two grandchildren, six siblings and many extended family and friends. Family said he struggled with mental illness, but was also silly and thoughtful. He loved the rapper Tupac Shakur and was cremated wearing a Tupac shirt. Friends and family wore Tupac shirts to his funeral.

Our family is totally ruined," Ardagna's daughter Taylor Ardagna told The Spectator last year.

The case returns Jan. 23 for sentencing submissions.

Nicole O'Reilly is a crime and justice reporter at The Spectator. noreilly@thespec.com