Sudbury man on trial for murdering his drug dealer, jury told

The trial of a man accused of second-degree murder in a 2021 death in Greater Sudbury got under way on Tuesday.

The murder trial of Kyle Smith, a Sudbury man accused of stabbing another man before running him over with a car and fleeing the scene, began Tuesday morning at the Sudbury Courthouse.

Patrick McGregor, 30, died at the Esso gas station on the corner of Lasalle Boulevard and Notre Dame Avenue in the early morning hours of Sept. 7, 2021, following the attack.

Smith, now 36, was arrested Sept. 9 following an alleged convenience store robbery that sent three people to hospital with pepper-spray injuries.

He has been in jail ever since.

Jury selection began Monday and concluded Tuesday morning. A total of 14 jurors, including five women, were chosen along with three alternates. The three alternates were dismissed after the first witness testified. Two more will be dismissed prior to deliberation.

Smith sat in the prisoner’s box in the courtroom with two Sudbury police officers sitting on either side. He has short hair, a beard and wore a long-sleeved white and blue plaid dress shirt.

Justice Alexander Kurke told jurors that they will hear that McGregor was a drug dealer and Smith was McGregor’s customer.

In his opening remarks, assistant Crown attorney Kevin Ludgate told the jury McGregor was stabbed in the throat before being chased down in his own vehicle and intentionally run over.

Bled to death

McGregor bled to death in the street.

Ludgate said Smith is on trial for second-degree murder as well as dangerous operation of a vehicle causing bodily harm, a slight change from the original charges. He was originally charged with first-degree murder.

Ludgate said while court proceedings can sometimes be unpredictable, he anticipated the evidence would show how the 30-year-old died and how the last moments of his life unfolded.

Ludgate said the jury is expected to be shown video surveillance footage from the gas station and nearby homes from the night of the incident.

His first witness was Christine McGregor, the victim’s mother.

In her testimony, she detailed the dinner she had with her son the night before his death and a conversation about a drug transaction with Smith she overheard.

The Crown said the drug deal involved cocaine and cigarettes and that Smith offered to give collateral in exchange, but that McGregor was not interested in anything other than cash.

Planning to meet up

The two were planning to meet up at the Esso gas station overnight.

Other expected witnesses include a man working at the gas station that night who had an interaction with a customer who bought drinks and had to put the first ones back and buy smaller ones after not having enough money.

Also expected to testify is the man who called 911 to report the hit-and-run, along with several police officers and the paramedic on the scene.

Evidence the jury will see includes a blood-stained jacket found in the bush on the west side of Kent Court, a knife found in a fire pit, along with fingerprints and DNA from blood.

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