Reese Stanzel (file photo)
A Perth teen has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the 2024 death of 15-year-old Reese Stanzel.
Inside Ottawa Valley reported the guilty plea was entered in Perth court on Nov. 26. The accused was 16 at the time of arrest and is being prosecuted under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. A publication ban prevents the teen from being identified.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 13, 2026.
Under Ontario law, the maximum sentence for a youth convicted of first-degree murder is 10 years. That includes up to six years in custody followed by four years of conditional supervision in the community.
The matter had previously been set for trial from Nov. 9 to Nov. 27, 2026.
On Oct. 25, 2024, just after 3 p.m., Lanark County OPP responded to Sherbrooke Street East and Herriott Street in Perth. Stanzel’s body was found in a wooded area near the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks.
The accused was arrested at a nearby home. The charge was later upgraded from second-degree to first-degree murder.