Barrie man dies days after charges against him are withdrawn in fatal stabbing case

Barrie man dies days after jail release A Barrie man has died less than a week after being released from jail.

A Barrie man who spent nearly two years in custody accused of murder has died less than a week after the charges against him were withdrawn.

The death of 34-year-old Jordan Szyperski was confirmed by defence lawyer Richard Stern on Tuesday.

Szyperski, who had struggled with addiction issues for years, was arrested shortly after the February 2023 fatal stabbing of Ron Brennan Peterson, 47, in Barrie’s downtown.

His co-accused, Steven Martel, was arrested two days later. Both men were charged in the deadly assault, which the court described as a drug deal gone wrong.

Last week, the Crown withdrew all the charges against Szyperski, who then left the courthouse a free man and expressed his sympathies to Peterson’s family.

“I obviously apologize for anything that was my part in it. I never wanted anything, anyone to get hurt," Szyperski said.

Martel was sentenced to seven years in prison for manslaughter.