Supreme Court won’t hear case of Ontario man who fatally shot Indigenous man

The Supreme Court of Canada is seen, Friday, June 16, 2023 in Ottawa.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

The case of an Ontario man found guilty of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an Indigenous man has come to a close after Canada’s top court declined to hear it.

The Supreme Court of Canada has rejected a leave to appeal request from Peter Khill, who shot and killed Jonathan Styres after finding the man breaking into his truck in the early morning hours of Feb. 4, 2016.

As is its standard practice, the high court did not give reasons for its decision to not hear the case.

Khill was charged with second-degree murder and pleaded not guilty, testifying that he acted in self-defence and in accordance with his military training.

In 2022, a jury found him not guilty of second-degree murder but guilty of the lesser offence of manslaughter. He was sentenced to eight years behind bars.

Earlier this year, the Court of Appeal for Ontario dismissed his appeal regarding his conviction but reduced his sentence to six years.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2025.