A Windsor man accused of killing his girlfriend has been found guilty of second-degree murder.
John Wayne Pierre, 49, has been convicted of murdering his girlfriend Lesley Watterworth, 42, in November of 2016.
During the three week trial, the court was told she was beaten and stabbed 69 times at a home on Curry Avenue near College Avenue in Windsor. Pierre is facing 10 to 25 years behind bars. The jury was unanimous on Pierre's verdict. The other option was manslaughter.
Veronica Watterworth, Lesley's mother, said the family is relieved that justice was served after a very difficult trial.
"When they came out and said they have a verdict, I just about exploded," said Watterworth.
Defence lawyer Ken Marley said he is disappointed but calls the verdict reasonable. He said it is too early to tell if the verdict will be appealed.
Five jurors recommended 25 years behind bars without the eligibility for parole, one recommended 20 and six did not make recommendations. A pre-sentence hearing will be held October 5. The maximum sentence is 25 years.
Watterworth said she hopes Pierre spends the rest of his life in prison.
"We got through it and now he's going to pay. It's not a nice thing to say about a person but I don't like him," she said.
Watterworth said she feared a manslaughter verdict would come back.
"I was concerned because of the fact that they were saying something about him being insane or whatever and I thought, oh that can't happen," said Watterworth.
