Jurors in the trial of two people accused of murder in the 2022 shooting death of a provincial police officer have begun their deliberations after hearing closing arguments in the case this week.
Ontario Provincial Police Const. Grzegorz Pierzchala was shot on Dec. 27, 2022 while responding to a vehicle in a ditch west of Hagersville, Ont., near Brantford.
Randall McKenzie and Brandi Stewart-Sperry were each charged with first-degree murder in the 28-year-old officer's death and both have pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors have argued that McKenzie was the shooter and that Stewart-Sperry intentionally helped him.
McKenzie's lawyer has tried to cast doubt on the Crown's case, arguing that some of the witnesses' descriptions of the shooter did not match his client's appearance at the time of the incident, and that multiple DNA profiles were found on the gun.
Meanwhile, Stewart-Sperry's lawyer has argued that the Crown's case against his client is based on speculation and that there's no evidence she knew the shooting would happen.
The trial is taking place in Cayuga, Ont., a community near Hagersville.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2025.
The Canadian Press
