Peter Khill guilty of manslaughter in shooting death of Jonathan Styres

Peter Khill — the man who killed Jonathan Styres, a Six Nations man, in 2016 — has been found guilty of manslaughter.

The verdict was issued on Friday evening just after 5:00 p.m. following 12 hours of deliberations by the jury.

Khill is currently still out on bail. A judge will decide if that bail will be revoked on December 10. Sentencing will take place at a later date.

Styres was shot twice and killed by Khill in the driveway of Khill’s home in Glanbrook. He was originally acquitted of second-degree murder in June 2018 and a new trial was ordered by the Ontario Court of Appeal — that decision was upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada in October 2021.

Six Nations Elected Council released a statement on the verdict Friday evening.

“While Six Nations of the Grand River is glad that Jonathan’s killer is being held accountable for his death, we are disappointed that the clear evidence presented was not enough to convince the jury of second-degree murder. Jonathan is not alive today because he was intentionally shot twice. Indigenous people deserve a judicial system that values our lives and one that is worthy of our trust. There is still plenty of work to be done to ensure an equitable and fair justice system that meaningfully addresses the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples within that system.
 
Our thoughts remain with Jonathan’s entire family, his partner, Lindsay Hill, and their two daughters as they continue to heal from Jonathan’s death.”

Styres partner, Lindsay Hill, also issued a statement:
 
“Finally, Jon’s killer has been held accountable. While I believe that it should have been second-degree murder, I am relieved that he was found guilty of unlawfully killing Jon. Although there is a conviction, it in no way compares to the loss my daughters and I have endured and will continue to endure.”
 
SNGREC said, “After nearly seven years of investigation, court proceedings, pain, and heartache, Six Nations has finally been given a sense of closure knowing that Jonathan’s killer has been brought to justice. We must now heal from this as a community and lean on one another as we continue to process our grief.”
 
Six Nations community members who are struggling with this news and need someone to talk to are encouraged to reach out to our 24-Hour Crisis Line at (519)-445-2204, or to Six Nations Mental Health and Addictions at (519)-445-2143.

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