Midland woman sentenced to house arrest in murder case

Warning: This article contains disturbing details that may be triggering to readers.

A Midland woman who pleaded guilty to being an accessory after-the-fact to murder has been granted a conditional sentence of house arrest and curfew.

Mackenzie Harrod, who turns 21 in June, left the Barrie courthouse Tuesday afternoon after Justice Michelle Fuerst accepted a joint submission by the Crown and defence for Harrod to serve a two-year conditional sentence beginning with a year under house arrest followed by curfew for about six months.

Harrod, accepted responsibility, earlier this year, for her actions the night her former boyfriend Kyle Farrows, 25, was stabbed to death Dec. 14, 2023, inside his Orillia apartment where Harrod was staying with another man accused of Farrows’ murder.

• Ont. woman convicted in ex-boyfriend’s deadly stabbing seeks house arrest conditional sentence

As part of an Agreed Statement of Facts read to the court in February, Harrod claimed Farrows tried to force himself on her and held a knife to her throat, prompting a fight between the two men. Harrod said she smashed a bong over Farrows’ head to help the man overpower Farrows who was then stabbed several times. The allegations against the man not been tested in court.

Harrod, as part of her plea deal and sentence, was credited with five-and-a-half months of pre-sentence custody. She had been out on bail for more than two years under strict conditions including having to wear a GPS ankle monitor.

The court heard Harrod, who has a lengthy history of mental health struggles, helped her co-accused flee the scene after Farrows died. Harrod admitted to cleaning blood from a doorway in the apartment, then tossing her phone as she provided emotional support to her co-accused while on the run.

Harrod said she was addicted to drugs at the time including cocaine, crack cocaine and fentanyl and didn’t have a place to stay.

Farrows’ family described him as a loving son, uncle, and grandson, saying Harrod’s actions robbed Farrows of his future. As part of her sentence, Harrod is ordered not to communicate with the family of Kyle Farrows.