Jesse Rowe, charged in connection with the murder of 27-year-old Prince Edward County native Cynara Lewis, has been found guilty.

The 32-year-old was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of Ms. Lewis. Mr. Rowe was also found guilty of aggravated assault in the stabbing of 33-year-old Daycota Csiszar.

Ms. Lewis was murdered on September 6, 2023, at 9:00 p.m. in her apartment on Simcoe Street and Mr. Csiszar was stabbed. Footage from the police-maintained and private CCTV cameras in the area led police to Mr. Rowe, who was arrested in the early morning hours of September 7, 2023.

As the verdict was delivered at Peterborough’s Superior Court of Justice Monday afternoon, there were audible emotions from both Mr. Rowe and the Lewis family.

According to the Peterborough Examiner, Mr. Rowe yelled “You’re all going to hell” at the jury.

During trial, Mr. Rowe admitted to assaulting Mr. Csiszar but maintained he acted in self-defence during a struggle with Ms. Lewis.

Justice Bhavneet K. Bhangu cleared the courtroom as Mr. Rowe continued to verbally harangue jurors and Mr. Csiszar, who was present for the proceedings.

“That’s my daughter you killed,” Susan Lewis yelled back at Mr. Rowe as the gallery was escorted out of the courtroom.

Cynara Lewis was a student at both PECI and Prince Edward Learning Centre. During her tenure as a Panther, Ms. Lewis won a gold medal in photography in a provincial competition in 2014. Later, Ms. Lewis became an advocate for community safety. She spoke on behalf of PELC to County Council in 2018, calling for a safe sidewalk to connect Macaulay Village to Picton along County Rd. 22 and Church Street.

Retired PECI teacher Hilary-Anne Clarke remembered Ms. Lewis as a “quiet and selfless” person who was modest about her success and demonstrated a high level of empathy for those around her.

In a statement, Peterborough Police Service Chief Stuart Betts called the result of the trial a testament to the hard work of investigators to identify and bring those committing violence in the community before the courts.

“I am proud of the dedication and hours of work from those in our Investigative Services Unit, from detectives to victim services, as well as the support from our Court Services division throughout both trials in this matter,” Mr. Betts said.

A previous trial, in November 2025, ended in a mistrial.

Sentencing will take place later this summer.