In the days leading up to the arrest of Randall McKenzie for the shocking shooting of Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Constable Greg Pierzchala, the court heard about a series of disturbing texts sent from McKenzie’s phone. These texts indicated his intentions to engage in a “shooting out” with police officers.
According to the trial, McKenzie’s phone contained messages where the sender mentioned plans for violent confrontations with law enforcement. One text read, “I’m going to do some ATM (a psychedelic drug) and shooting out with the cops,” while another described actions such as making spike strips and attacking police officers. These messages were sent shortly before McKenzie’s involvement in the shooting of Constable Pierzchala, who was shot six times near Hagersville on December 27, 2022, while responding to a call about a car in a ditch.
Along with these troubling texts, McKenzie’s phone browsing history revealed research into the legal punishments for murder and manslaughter under the Criminal Code of Canada. The phone also contained videos of McKenzie and his girlfriend, Brandi Stewart-Sperry, as well as a video of McKenzie driving with a gun in hand. There were also disturbing texts indicating McKenzie’s intentions to flee the province.
During the trial in Cayuga, it was revealed that McKenzie and Stewart-Sperry were arrested approximately five hours after Pierzchala’s death. They were found in a bush lot behind a relative’s home. Both have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges. The police also recovered items from previous crimes committed in December 2022, such as stolen cars, a rifled Jaguar, and items from a home burglary. Some of these items, including ownership slips, credit and debit cards, and a key fob, were found in the stolen vehicle near the scene of the shooting or in the bush lot where McKenzie and Stewart-Sperry were arrested.
However, Justice Andrew Goodman made it clear to the jury that McKenzie and Stewart-Sperry were not on trial for possession of stolen property or any other offenses. He reminded them not to assume that possession of stolen items made the accused more likely to have committed the murder, though they were allowed to consider the evidence.
As the trial continued, forensic officer Adam Davidson presented key evidence, including the Glock-19 handgun that killed Pierzchala. He walked around the jury box to show the jurors the weapon used in the killing. Earlier, the jury had seen a thermal imaging video captured by a helicopter, showing McKenzie walking toward officers and discarding an item that was later identified as the firearm.
Davidson also described the painstaking work forensic officers did in collecting evidence. They took photos and swabs from various pieces of evidence, filling nine notebooks with detailed records. A photograph was also shown of clothing seized from McKenzie, including a hoodie with a hole near the “kangaroo pocket,” which was later linked to the shooting incident.
This ongoing trial is providing crucial insights into the events leading up to the tragic death of Constable Pierzchala, with the evidence offering a clearer picture of the circumstances surrounding his death.
