Man involved in Russian roulette torture of 2 homeless people found guilty on 10 charges

Even though Daniel Gerow wasn’t the primary aggressor in the torture and confinement of two homeless people, a Windsor judge found him guilty on all 10 charges he faced for his role.

Man involved in Russian roulette torture of 2 homeless people found guilty on 10 charges Female victim branded with heated back scratcher referred to as 'the claw' Even though Daniel Gerow wasn’t the primary aggressor in the torture and confinement of two homeless people, a Windsor judge found him guilty on all 10 charges he faced for his role. Six of those charges relate to assault, two are linked to forcible confinement and the others include uttering threats and carrying a handgun. Summarizing the evidence heard during the trial, Justice Adam Campbell said that on May 29, 2024, Gerow and another man told the two victims to get in a vehicle because he believed they stole drugs.

Eventually they were taken to an apartment on Dufferin Place with several people inside. Once they arrived, the victims say Gerow called another man to come to the apartment, who Campbell called the “principal aggressor.” Gerow pleaded not guilty and denied committing the crimes, and his defence attorney said the Crown can only establish his presence in the apartment.

The female victim’s head was shaved and the victim said she believes Gerow branded her with a heated back scratcher the assailants called “the claw.” A bullet was also loaded into a handgun where the principle aggressor is alleged to have played Russian roulette while holding the firearm to her head. Bear spray used in woman's mouth, court hears Bear spray was also used in the woman’s mouth.

The male victim had a power tool drilled into his knee and was beaten. The two were also “tied together for several hours” and a Taser was used during the torture, Campbell said as he laid out the evidence in this case. Gerow was referred to as the “enforcer, keeping control as he was a large man,” according to the male victim.

Even though the judge admitted Gerow wasn’t the primary assailant, Campbell said he understood the nature of the conduct, actively participated in it and helped maintain control of the situation. Gerow is also one of the men who brought the victims to the apartment and called the main aggressor to the area that led to the brutal torture, the judge found. Victims never intended to speak with police about assaults Once the principal assailant left, the judge said Gerow eventually let the two victims out of the apartment.

The victims testified during the trial that they “hid near the river for several days” and didn’t contact police “because they were afraid.” It was Windsor police that approached them after seeing video recordings of the assaults on the principle aggressor's cell phone. That only came to light because Gerow and that man were found walking through the halls of 333 Glengarry Ave.

with a sawed-off shotgun the day after the assaults. The judge is expected to set a date for sentencing later this month. Gerow is being held in custody.

After the trial concluded in June, the defence also asked the judge to dismiss the case because it went beyond the 18-month ceiling set out by the Supreme Court of Canada for criminal proceedings in provincial court. However, Campbell denied that request and said more than half of the delays in this case can be attributed to the defence. In a completely separate case, Gerow is a co-accused who will be in trial for murder in early 2027.

Windsor police announced in July 2024 that five people were arrested, including Gerow, in relation to the murder of 27-year-old Dalton Bartnik. On May 24, 2024 Windsor police say they received a missing persons report for Bartnik, who was last seen March 24, 2024.