'I exploded,' Pierre gives tearful confession of stabbing girlfriend in trial
John Wayne Pierre, charged with second-degree murder in a Windsor woman's homicide, began his defence Tuesday with descriptions of childhood abuse and drug use before his tearful confession of stabbing the woman that night in 2016.
Pierre was arrested two years ago after Lesley Watterworth was found dead in a home on Curry Avenue.
"You've seen what the aftermath was through the photographs and the other exhibits. But you've heard little about what actually happened," said Pierre's defence lawyer Ken Marley.
"Those things that were affecting Mr. Pierre's state of mind."
Pierre was originally charged with first-degree murder, but the charge was changed during a preliminary hearing.
Events of the night
Pierre described a three-day binge of alcohol, meth and crack prior to Watterworth's death.
The two had been arguing after taking drugs, he said, which escalated when he confronted her about having a sexual relationship with her ex-boyfriend.
"She said it wouldn't happen if I hadn't went to Brentwood," he recalled. Brentwood Recovery Home is an addictions treatment centre in Windsor.
When he heard Watterworth's comment, Pierre said he "exploded," like a can of coke.
"I grabbed the knife off the stove and I started stabbing her," he described through tears.
"I was stabbing her and we crashed down on the floor and I was on top of her and I don't know, I went into shock."
After the stabbing, he said he had gone to a friend's house to confess. He took more drugs, got a beer and smoked cigarettes and weed.
He remembered thinking to either turn himself in or to jump into the river. He was arrested at Caesars Windsor at around 1 a.m. Nov. 2, 2016.
Drugs and abuse
Pierre began his defence on Tuesday by testifying he had been abused and sexually assaulted in his childhood, when he was living in two foster homes.
One of them was run by a truancy officer in charge of him, who opened up his home to him, but Pierre alleged the officer had sexually assaulted him and other children.
"He was interested in me," said Pierre. "He didn't have sex with me. He tried to."
He also recalled starting drug use early in his teens and eventually becoming an addict.
When his mother died in September of 2016, Pierre said his life was out of control with him doubling up on drugs.
Pierre went to Brentwood for a week out of the 90-day program.
Frequent arguments
When it comes to Watterworth, he said they started being "more than friends" years ago when he was 18 in Leamington.
Over the years, he said they would get drugs from the same person and eventually date and live together.
Before Watterworth's death, Pierre said there were several arguments in September between the pair.
One time police was called.
"She got rammed with the bike," said Pierre, saying he hit her once with the bike. "She said she had injuries. I didn't see no injuries." He added the fights usually ended with him leaving.
Pierre described the fights as frequent as once a week, where he would leave to go sleep on a friend's couch, before going back to Watterworth.
He said he can't explain his state of mind when they were standing in the kitchen the night of her death.
"It was an argument. Then sarcastic. Then...I must have been in a rage. I don't know how it happened," he said.
"I still love her today. I didn't want to kill her."
