The courtrooms of Windsor, Ontario, were the stage for a grim procession of the community's most serious criminal cases throughout 2025. From acts of terrorism and fratricide to deadly drug deals and sexual assaults, the judicial system grappled with the darkest facets of human behaviour. The Superior Court of Justice and Ontario Court of Justice buildings in downtown Windsor witnessed another year where justice sought to answer for profound community harm.
Violent Crimes and Homicides
The year saw several shocking cases of violence reach their legal conclusions. In a tragic instance of familial conflict, a brother was convicted of killing his younger sibling. The dangerous world of illegal firearms also erupted in violence, resulting in a death when a gun deal between traffickers went violently wrong, leading to a fatal shooting.
Other homicide cases progressed through the system. A Windsor man, initially charged with first-degree murder for a fatal 2023 home invasion and robbery, ultimately pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received a 16-year sentence on February 3. The case of Dalton Bartnik's 2024 death saw a young mother of three receive a two-year conditional sentence on February 6 for being an accessory after the fact; four others accused of first-degree murder are scheduled for trial in 2027.
In a case that deeply affected the community, the Court of Appeal for Ontario rejected an application on March 25 to review the murder conviction of the killer of a senior on the Ganatchio Trail. The victim, Sara Widholm, died from injuries sustained in a random attack on the popular recreational path.
Sexual Assaults and Institutional Trust
Several cases in 2025 involved breaches of trust and predatory sexual behaviour. On January 21, a Windsor judge sentenced a local Catholic high school teacher to three years in prison for sharing explicit photos with a minor. The judge stated the "predatory sexual behaviour … puts the very foundation of our education system at risk."
An Uber driver in Windsor was sentenced to 12 months in jail on April 9 for sexually assaulting a passenger. In a civil case, the Windsor Spitfires were targeted in a $3.75 million lawsuit filed on April 1 over an alleged sexual assault dating back to 1984.
Drugs, Traffic, and Judicial Commentary
The ongoing opioid crisis and related crimes featured prominently. In a significant ruling on February 11, a Windsor judge tossed out a drug trafficking case, strongly criticizing the Leamington OPP for demonstrating "anti-Black bias" during the 2020 arrest of a Toronto motorist.
Traffic incidents with deadly consequences also reached the courts. The trial for a double-fatal 2022 crash on Highway 401 ended abruptly on April 12 when the truck driver pleaded guilty to a single count of careless driving; sentencing was deferred to 2026.
In a case with a measure of judicial praise, a judge on May 19 commended Windsor police for their actions while sentencing a motorist found driving with a near-lethal level of alcohol intoxication. The judge highlighted that officers rushed the individual to hospital instead of directly to jail, a decision that likely saved his life.
Other notable resolutions included a woman receiving a six-year sentence on February 18 for shooting a Leamington mother in the head at a 2020 party. Brothers involved in a lesser capacity in an April 2022 mass shooting outside a Windsor bowling alley received house arrest on April 11, while the alleged shooter faces an attempted murder trial in 2026. A shooter in a 2021 gun deal that turned deadly was sentenced to seven years on April 24; originally charged with murder, the court accepted he acted in self-defence. Finally, a Windsor man, once deemed too mentally ill to stand trial for a 2018 killing, was declared fit and now faces a murder trial in 2026.
