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Hamilton man acquitted in shooting death of unarmed First Nations man

A mostly white jury acquitted Peter Khill of murder in the death of Jonathan Styres, who had been trying to steal his truck
Peter Khill, charged with second-degree murder, leaves court in Hamilton on Tuesday, June 12, 2018.  Khill, 28, is charged with gunning down an Indigenous man, Jon Styres, 29, who was allegedly trying to steal his pickup truck from his rural home in the early hours of Feb. 4, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Colin Perkel

In a case that’s drawn comparisons with the Gerald Stanley trial, Hamilton resident Peter Khill has been found not guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Six Nations man Jon Styres.

Around 3 a.m. on February 4, 2016, Khill, now 28, shot and killed Styres, 29, who was attempting to steal his truck.

While Khill admitted he fired the fatal shots, he testified that he believed Styres had a gun, and he shot him in self-defense. A mostly-white jury believed him.

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Khill testified that he and his girlfriend woke up to banging noises in the driveway of their rural home. Khill said he looked out the window and saw his truck lights were on. He grabbed his shotgun out of the bedroom closet and loaded it. He went outside and found a man leaning into the passenger side of the truck, so he testified he yelled, “Hey, hands up!”

Styres turned and Khill shot him twice — once in the chest and once in the back.

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Khill testified that he was using the military training he got as an army reservist, and believed Styres had a gun. Styres did not have a gun.

The jury heard that Khill did not call 911 before shooting Styres. Prosecutors did not dispute that Styres was attempting to steal Khill’s truck.

The case has similarities to the trial of Gerald Stanley, a Saskatchewan farmer who shot and killed a Cree man, Colten Boushie, on his rural property.

An all-white jury acquitted Stanley of second degree murder and of manslaughter, provoking questions of racial bias in the case.

Photo of Jonathan Styres, via a petition.

In the Khill trial, CBC reported the jury “included at least one non-white person.” Potential jurors in the Khill trial were asked whether the race of the accused and the victim would bias them.

According to CBC, in closing arguments, defence lawyer Jeffrey Manishen insisted that because it was dark out, Khill could not have known Styres’s race. “Race cannot, it does not, play a role in the case,” Manishen said.

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As the trial began, Six Nations chief Ava Hill said in a statement that Styres was a “loving, loyal good father” to his two daughters, and “his tragic passing has had a significant impact on the Six Nations community.”

Styres worked construction jobs at Grand River Enterprises, according to the Hamilton Spectator. Six Nations resident Janie Jamieson said he had grown up in foster homes, although his former girlfriend Natasha Hill said his parents were separated, so he lived with his mom until he was eight, and then lived with his aunt, before finally moving out on his own at age 14 or 15. He didn’t finish high school, she said.

"Race cannot, it does not, play a role in the case."

“When he had his daughters he was so proud, he was trying to smarten up,” Natasha Hill said. She said he wanted to give them the life he never had growing up.

His friend Sharon Hill told the Spectator he always had a big grin on his face, and would greet friends by saying “What-cha up to?”

“He always knew when you were down, and would know how to make you feel better.”

Khill is a mechanical field specialist for GE Power. His lawyer told the Hamilton Spectator he was a “quiet spoken gentleman” who owned his $300,000 home on Highway 56. His lawyer said he had no previous criminal record.

"Indigenous people will not feel safe until there is a justice system in place that values Indigenous lives."

Chief Ava Hill said there are “longstanding concerns” that the jury selection process is unfair to Indigenous people, and the justice system needs to change in order to achieve reconciliation.

“Indigenous people will not feel safe until there is a justice system in place that values Indigenous lives,” she said. “Each failure of the justice system — Colton Boushie, Tina Fontaine, Cindy Gladue — represents how 150 years of colonization continue to translate into racism, injustice and tragedy for Indigenous peoples.”

Cover image: Colin Perkel/The Canadian Press