‘He is a free man’: Andrew Rosenfeldt found not guilty in girlfriend’s death

Andrew Rosenfeldt has been found not guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend, Nykera Brown. Laura Woodward reports.

Andrew Rosenfeldt has been found not guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend, Nykera Brown.

Brown, 20, was found shot in the head on Nov. 15, 2022, inside the Avenue P South apartment the couple shared.

As Justice Heather MacMillan-Brown delivered the verdict Friday at Saskatoon’s Court of King’s Bench, Brown’s mother stood up in the gallery and interrupted proceedings — shouting a comment about domestic violence.

“You’re a piece of s---,” she yelled, as sheriffs surrounded the courtroom.

Family members of the victim — many wearing purple sweaters reading Justice for Nykera — left the courtroom as the judge continued her decision.

Rosenfeldt’s family remained seated in the back row and clapped when the judge said, “I find you not guilty.”

MacMillan-Brown immediately condemned the clapping.

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The Crown argued Rosenfeldt killed Brown, while the defence maintained the shooting was a suicide. The judge said her job was not to choose between those two explanations.

“My role in this case was to answer the question: Did the Crown prove Mr. Rosenfeld’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt?” she said.

“And at the end of the day, the evidence did give rise to a reasonable inference other than guilt.”

MacMillan-Brown described the ruling as a “very difficult decision,” citing evidence and witness testimony — some of which she rejected.

Outside the courthouse, defence lawyer Chris Murphy said he believed in his client’s innocence from the beginning.

“He is a free man — which is what I believe he should be,” Murphy said.

He thanked Legal Aid Saskatchewan, which provides free or low-cost representation to people who can’t afford a lawyer.

“Without Legal Aid assisting people like Mr. Rosenfeld, we run the risk of people being wrongfully convicted,” he said.

The Crown has 30 days to file a notice of appeal.