Sudbury jury finds man guilty of second-degree murder

A Sudbury man is facing life in prison after being found guilty of murder and now a judge will get to decide when he will be eligible for parole.

A Sudbury jury has found Kyle Smith, 36, guilty of second-degree murder in the Sept. 7, 2021, death of Patrick McGregor.

After more than three weeks of testimony, it took the jury five hours of deliberation to come to its verdict.

• Want more local news? Check out the Sudbury page

On the first day of the trial, the court heard that Smith admitted to killing 30-year-old McGregor, who was his drug dealer.

READ: Sudbury man accused of killing drug dealer admits to causing his death

The fatal incident involved McGregor being stabbed in the neck by Smith while driving his red Dodge Magnum in the parking lot of the Esso gas station at the corner of Lasalle Boulevard and Notre Dame Avenue.

READ: Sudbury victim was killed because of $750 chain, Crown tells jury

McGregor got out of his vehicle which was then used by Smith to run him over.

• Daily newsletter with the top local stories emailed to your inbox

The accused took the stand during the trial and claimed the stabbing was in self defence and that he didn’t intend to kill him.

READ: Sudbury murder suspect had no intent to kill victim, lawyer argues

Second-degree murder convictions mean an automatic life sentence in prison.

The judge will ultimately decide how long he must stay incarcerated before he is eligible for parole.

• Download the CTV News app now
• Get local breaking news alerts

Each jury member gets to make a recommendation about parole eligibility.

More to come on this breaking news.