Man pleads guilty to manslaughter of 'balcony surfer’ who tried to escape fight from 8th-floor Toronto apartment, lost his grip and fell

Joshua Pilgrim pleaded guilty to manslaughter, admitting that he knew Ryan Williams might try to flee via the balcony due to his "predilection for balcony surfing."

Ryan Williams was a balcony surfer. The 38-year-old man would climb from one balcony to another at his apartment building on Church Street near Shuter Street as well as at previous residences; he once scaled down the outside of a building — approximately 10 storeys — after climbing over a balcony. But on April 24, 2024, Williams lost his grip and fell to his death from his eighth-floor unit as he tried to flee his apartment after being threatened by Joshua Pilgrim, an acquaintance, during a physical fight with another man.

Pilgrim pleaded guilty to manslaughter on Wednesday, admitting that he knew Williams might try to escape from him via the balcony “given his knowledge of Mr. Williams’ predilection for balcony surfing,” according to an agreed statement of facts. “Mr. Pilgrim admits that his unlawful act of threatening Mr. Williams with additional violence was a contributing cause of his death.” Crown attorney Nathaniel Smith is expected to argue that Pilgrim, who has been in jail since his arrest, should receive a five-year sentence minus standard credit for pre-sentence custody; defence lawyer Scott Reid will ask for three to four years.

Williams lived at the Church Street apartment with his mother, who was in her bedroom on the day he died. Four people — two women and two men, including Pilgrim, the only person charged in Williams’ death — showed up looking to get back cases of Ensure nutritional supplement drinks that Williams had stolen from one of the women. Pilgrim was familiar with Williams, who suffered from a drug addiction, as they sometimes used drugs together.

Pilgrim was also there that day to get back drugs he believed Williams had taken from him when he slept over a few weeks prior. If Williams had already used the drugs, Pilgrim wanted an amount of money equivalent to their value. A fight ensued in the living room between Williams and the other man in the group over the stolen Ensure; the man punched Williams several times.

Meanwhile, the two women stood between the entry to the living room and the door to the apartment. “While not intentional, they were inadvertently blocking Mr. Williams’ exit from the apartment during the confrontation,” says the agreed statement of facts. Pilgrim then threatened Williams during the fight, though he can’t remember the exact words he used.

“He admits they were of a threatening nature in which he would use violence against Mr. Williams if Mr. Williams did not pay Mr. Pilgrim the money for the drugs he took from him,” says the statement. “Uttered while Mr. Williams was engaged in a violent altercation, it caused him to believe that Mr. Pilgrim was about to enter the fray, which caused (Williams) to panic and try to escape.” Williams ran out to his balcony and tried to climb over to another.

“However, owing to panic and/or a combination of illegal drugs in his system at the time of the incident, he lost his grip and fell,” says the agreed statement. Williams landed on scaffolding on the second floor and died of his injuries. Pilgrim and the others then fled the scene and returned to their tent encampment.

He was arrested two days later and charged with second-degree murder, which was later downgraded in court to manslaughter. During a preliminary hearing in provincial court, where a judge determines if there’s sufficient evidence to move the case to trial in Superior Court, Pilgrim had his cellmate at the Toronto South Detention Centre call one of the women who had been in Williams’ apartment to ensure she testified at the hearing that there had been no physical altercation between Williams and Pilgrim. While that may have been true, Pilgrim admitted on Wednesday that by asking the woman to “provide specific testimony about his actions,” he also committed the offence of attempting to obstruct justice.

The Crown and defence disagree on one issue that could be used as an aggravating factor in determining a fit sentence: Smith alleges that Pilgrim swung a “bladed weapon” at Williams and cut through his hoodie, but didn’t make contact with his body. The defence will argue that didn’t happen. Superior Court Justice Maureen Forestell will deliver her decision on that point and on sentencing at a later date.