Ajax man found guilty of second-degree murder of girlfriend, jury rejects intoxication defence

An Ajax man on trial for the second-degree murder of his girlfriend, 45-year-old Jennifer Polak, has been found guilty.

After only six hours of deliberations, the jury reached their verdict in Kyle Severin‘s trial at about 7 p.m. Friday.

The guilty verdict means jurors rejected the defence argued by Severin’s lawyer Krystal Manitius, who said her client was in such a state of intoxication that he was unable to form the intent for murder.

Manitius urged the jury in her closing address to find Severin guilty of manslaughter, conceding that he caused the death of Polak, a mother of two boys.

Severin testified that on the night of March 30, 2024, Polak came over to his basement apartment on Hillman Drive in Ajax to eat pizza, have sex and hang out. He said after ingesting cocaine and seroquel, a sleeping pill, he blacked out and woke up hours later to find Polak covered in blood. He said he then called 911.

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Manitius told the jury Severin believed what he told the 911 operator that there were intruders in the house.

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Manitius argued Severin, who had struggled with addiction, was “the highest he had ever been in his life” and lacked intent.

1:53 Closing arguments at Kyle Severin murder trial

When first responders arrived, Polak was found behind Severin’s bedroom door. She had been badly beaten and her jugular vein in her throat was sliced, causing her death.

Assistant Crown attorneys Julie O’Connor and Alexandra Jeremiah argued that Severin had the intent for murder.

O’Connor told the jury in her closing address that Severin did not kill Polak because he was intoxicated, but because he was angry.

“It was the final act of anger after months of jealous, controlling and abusive behavior,” said O’Connor.

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Polak had told her sister, Severin’s mother and others that she was planning on ending her relationship with Severin, whom she’d been dating for three years.

The jury heard evidence Polak was going to break-up with Severin after helping him move out of his basement apartment on March 31, 2024. She was murdered the day before.

O’Connor urged the jury to reject Severin’s testimony, calling him evasive and careless with his answers, saying it was “convenient” that he said he could not remember his conduct.

“Being intoxicated does not automatically equate to lack of intent,” said O’Connor, who pointed out that Severin was still able to text Polak, and lob accusations at her.

Second-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence. The issue the judge must decide is a parole ineligibility period between 10 and 25 years.