The young person who admitted to killing 15-year-old Reese Stanzel in Perth, Ont., should receive a 10-year sentence, a courtroom heard Monday.
This individual was just 16 when she took Stanzel’s life in October 2024. In November 2025, she pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. Her identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
During the sentencing discussions on Monday, both the Crown and defense recommended the proposed 10-year sentence, which is the highest possible under the act for first-degree murder.
If Justice Brian Abrams accepts this recommendation, the teen will also get credit for one year served, even though she has spent more than 600 days in custody.
A forensic psychiatrist appointed by the court testified last month that he found nine mental health disorders in her diagnosis and stated that she has a low risk of reoffending.
The Crown mentioned in court on Monday that the teen believed Stanzel was involved with an 11-year-old and later justified her actions as vigilantism.
In a victim impact statement read out loud in court, Stanzel’s mother, Candi Bartraw, shared that when her son died, part of her died too. “I feel part of me is missing,” she said.
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Reese Stanzel, 15, was found dead in the woods of Perth, Ont., on Oct. 25, 2024. A teen girl has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in Stanzel’s death and is awaiting a judge’s decision on her sentence. (Facebook)
Bartraw added in another part of her statement that she cannot comprehend how someone could be “the judge, the jury and the executioner” over something based on rumors at such a young age when it could have been handled differently.
Matthew Stanzel expressed in his own statement that he still hears his son’s voice.
“All I have now is echoes,” he wrote.
Defense attorney Matthew Hodgson stressed that his client isn’t beyond redemption. The court learned she’s shown remorse and a desire for rehabilitation while facing mental health challenges and having no prior criminal record.
The Crown noted that her decision to plead guilty wasn’t part of any deal between attorneys.
Abrams is expected to announce his sentencing decision at the end of August.
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