Pat Stay‘s accused murderer, Adam Drake, was reportedly convicted of first-degree murder in a separate case, just as jurors began weighing his fate in the stabbing death of the Canadian battle rapper—a revelation that added a dramatic twist to an already high-profile trial unfolding in Halifax.
Drake, 34, was found guilty in October 2024 for the 2016 killing of 22-year-old Tyler Keizer, who was shot multiple times while sitting in a car in a Halifax parking lot, CBA News reports.
The verdict and sentencing had been sealed under a publication ban until Tuesday (June 18), the same day the jury began deliberating in Drake’s unrelated second-degree murder trial for the death of Pat Stay.
Justice Timothy Gabriel, who presided over the Keizer case, described the killing as “execution-style.”
Drake was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
During sentencing, he taunted Keizer’s grieving family by saying, “At least I’m going home someday,” which triggered an emotional outburst in the courtroom.
Pat Stay Trial: Jury Enter Deliberations
The timing of the unsealed conviction has drawn attention due to its overlap with the ongoing trial for Stay’s death.
Stay, a celebrated battle rapper and figure in Canadian Hip-Hop was fatally stabbed on September 4, 2022, at the Yacht Club Social nightclub in Halifax.
The prosecution in the Stay case leaned heavily on surveillance footage showing Stay in an altercation, turning with blood on his shirt, and being struck before collapsing.
However, the actual stabbing was not captured. The defense argued the video was too grainy to identify the attacker and insisted there was reasonable doubt about who inflicted the fatal wound.
Drake didn’t testify or present any evidence in his defense. His attorney urged jurors to disregard a Facebook post Drake made weeks before the incident. As of Tuesday (June 18), the jury continues to deliberate in the Pat Stay case.