Teen guilty of 1st-degree murder in death of Const. Garrett Styles

Both cheers and cries of anguish erupted in a Newmarket courthouse Thursday night after a jury convicted a 19-year-old man of first-degree murder in the  death of York Regional Const. Garrett Styles.

On June 28, 2011, Styles was standing beside a minivan during a routine traffic stop in East Gwillimbury when police say the vehicle suddenly accelerated and dragged him about 300 metres before losing control and rolling on top of him.

The accused, who was 15 at the time of the incident and did not have a driver’s licence, cannot be identified under the Youth Justice Act.

He was released on bail and will be back in court for a hearing to set a sentencing date on July 27, 2015.

The Crown will also decide if it will try to have him sentenced as an adult, which could carry an automatic life sentence.

The jury was instructed that it could find the teen guilty of first-degree murder, manslaughter, or he could have been acquitted.

When the verdict was read, the teen’s mother became hysterical.

“(She) began screaming in agony and had to be restrained and carried out by her husband and court officers,” explained CityNews reporter Adrian Ghobrial, who was present when the verdict was delivered.

“All the while the guilty teen sat facing the jury showing no emotion.”

The teen, who was left a quadriplegic after the incident, testified that he didn’t intend to hurt Styles. The Crown argued that the teen purposely accelerated the vehicle to get away, killing Styles in the process.

Styles was 32.

His family released a statement on Thursday night.

“The Styles family continues to mourn the loss of a much-loved son, husband, father and brother and it has been a difficult four years.”

“All we ever wanted was for the accused to be held accountable for his actions which cost Garrett his life,” said his wife Melissa. “We are pleased with the outcome in this trial. This serves as a reminder to all that there are consequences to the choices you make.

Garrett’s father, retired York Regional Police Staff Sergeant, Garry Styles added: “We are relieved the accused in this case has been held responsible for his crime.”

York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe said: “Garrett’s death had and continues to have a profound effect on his family, our members and the community,” Chief Jolliffe said. “His loss is still felt every day across our organization. We respect the justice system in which we operate and believe justice has been done in this case.”