“Guilty as charged”: Wentworth found guilty on two more counts first-degree murder, arson

Michael Wentworth was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder today, Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, one in the death of Richard Kimball and one in the death of Stephen St. Denis. Justice Laurie Lacelle also found him guilty of arson related to the building, setting, and detonating of a pipe bomb under a vehicle in Toronto.

Wentworth sat in the prisoner dock wearing a plain white T-shirt and jeans, often with his head down, rarely glancing up as the Judge read out the final pages of her verdict, having already announced the verdict on three of the counts against him the day prior. He has gained weight since his arrest, and this combined with his white hair and mustache and the spectacles perched on his nose gave him a grandfatherly appearance.

Lacelle began entering her verdict into the record promptly at 10 a.m. and, with the exception of a short break, read continually until 1:08 p.m., at which time she announced the court would break for ten minutes to allow the attorneys to discuss the verdict among themselves and give the defence time to speak with their client.

There was an audible sigh of relief in the court as Lacelle concluded that she had no doubt that Wentworth murdered St. Denis. One man patted another on the back in a congratulatory way.

The courtroom was half-full, with around 25 observers present; 25 more joined the proceedings online. Viewers included Wentworth’s daughter and other relatives, as well as a number of police.

This is a detailed story with more to come later today, including the sentencing of Michael Wentworth, which will occur this afternoon.