Car in ditch at scene of OPP officer’s death was stolen, murder trial hears

The trial of two people accused in the shooting death of an OPP officer has heard that the car in a ditch at the site of the alleged murder was stolen the previous day.

Ontario Provincial Police Const. Grzegorz Pierzchala was shot on Dec. 27, 2022, while responding to a vehicle in the ditch west of Hagersville, Ont., near Brantford.

Randall McKenzie and Brandi Stewart-Sperry were each charged with first-degree murder and both have pleaded not guilty.

An agreed statement of fact prosecutors read in court today says a man had his Nissan Armada stolen from a restaurant parking lot in Hamilton on Dec. 26.

It says that same Nissan was in the ditch at the scene where 28-year-old Pierzchala was fatally shot the next day.

The statement of fact also says several stolen items, including vehicle permit papers and a car key fob from other people, were found in Stewart-Sperry’s backpack at the time of her arrest.

The Crown has said it is looking to prove that McKenzie was the shooter and that Stewart-Sperry intentionally helped him.

The jury trial is taking place in Cayuga, Ont., a community near Hagersville, and it is expected to last six weeks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press