Randall McKenzie and Brandi Stewart-Sperry have been found guilty of first-degree murder in the 2022 shooting death of Ontario Provincial Police Const. Grzegorz Pierzchala, and were immediately sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
The jury in Cayuga, Ont., handed down the verdict late Thursday after deliberating for about six hours following a four-week trial.
Pierzchala was shot on Dec. 27, 2022, while responding to a vehicle in a ditch west of Hagersville, Ont., near Brantford.
McKenzie, 28, and Stewart-Sperry, 32, had both pleaded not guilty. The Crown had argued that McKenzie was the shooter and that Stewart-Sperry intentionally helped him.
Superior Court Justice Andrew Goodman said McKenzie's actions were "shocking" and he expressed sympathy for Pierzchala's family.
"I've told the jury that they must be objective, but frankly, Mr. McKenzie, your actions here were callous, cold-blooded, and an assassination of a young officer in the prime of his life, just starting out in his career," Goodman said. "There is no excuse whatsoever for your actions in this regard."
Goodman said he hopes the verdict will provide "some measure of closure" for the Pierzchala family.
"I honestly am so sorry," McKenzie told the court when asked if he wished to say something. "What happened ... that should never happen to nobody."
Stewart-Sperry did not address the court.
A statement from OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique and the Pierzchala family called the trial "an incredibly challenging period" for the force and Pierzchala's loved ones.
"This verdict is an important step as we focus on moving forward with continuing the important work Greg started and contributing to the everlasting impact he had on so many people, personally and professionally," the statement read.
Video footage of the shooting captured on Pierzchala's body camera was a key piece of evidence in the trial.
The trial heard from multiple witnesses, including some who had stopped at the side of the road after spotting the car in the ditch, law enforcement officials involved in the investigation and relatives of McKenzie who testified they had seen the accused pair the afternoon of the murder.
It also heard testimony from gun experts and forensic scientists, including one expert who told the court that gunshot particles were found inside the front pocket of a hoodie collected from McKenzie.
Neither McKenzie nor Stewart-Sperry elected to take the stand during the trial, and their lawyers did not call any evidence.
The trial heard that the vehicle in the ditch Pierzchala responded to had been stolen from a restaurant parking lot in Hamilton the previous day, and that several stolen items, including vehicle permit papers and a car key fob belonging to other people, were found in Stewart-Sperry's backpack at the time of her arrest.
The Crown argued that the pair intentionally killed the officer and fled from the scene because they had "dwindling options" to avoid arrest.
Prosecutor Fraser McCracken argued that the officer's body camera footage shows Stewart-Sperry stepping forward between Pierzchala and McKenzie so the latter could ready the gun.
But in his closing arguments to the jury, Stewart-Sperry's lawyer Scott Reid said the prosecution's case against his client was relying on speculation and there was no evidence she knew McKenzie had a gun or that he would shoot the officer.
McKenzie's lawyer had also tried to cast doubt on the Crown's arguments in the case, arguing in his closing remarks that some witnesses' descriptions of the shooter did not match his client's appearance at the time of the incident.
The trial heard that the Glock 19 handgun used to shoot Pierzchala had several DNA profiles on it — including McKenzie's — and that it had been trafficked into Canada from the United States.
Pierzchala's death sparked calls from police leaders and politicians to restrict access to bail for violent, repeat offenders.
At the time of McKenzie's arrest, court documents showed he was denied bail on unrelated assault and weapons charges months before the shooting, but was released after a review. A warrant for his arrest was issued after he failed to show up for a court date, months before Pierzchala’s killing.
Premiers from all 13 provinces and territories sent a letter to then-prime minister Justin Trudeau calling for reforms to the country's bail system. The letter was initiated by Ontario Premier Doug Ford following Pierzchala's death.
The jury did not hear those details at the murder trial.
In December 2023, a federal law passed requiring repeat offenders accused of violent crimes involving weapons to prove they are not a safety or flight risk, a reversal from the onus on the prosecution to prove that in the bail process.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2025.
Rianna Lim, The Canadian Press
