Man on trial for corn maze stabbing claims victim was Nazi recruiter
Michael Ferzli, 43, is seeking a not criminally responsible verdict after stabbing Joseph Farnsworth in the neck at Edmonton Corn Maze in August 2024.
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Michael George Ferzli, 43, is on trial for second-degree murder in the August 27, 2024 death of Joseph Farnsworth, 53, at Edmonton Corn Maze. Ferzli is seeking a not criminally responsible (NCR) verdict due to schizophrenia, with Justice Bob Aloneissi presiding at Court of King's Bench.
Ferzli and Farnsworth lived together at a supervised group home for mental health patients in 2024. Though they initially got along, tension developed when Farnsworth allegedly tried to recruit Ferzli into a neo-Nazi gang. Ferzli, raised in an Orthodox Christian family, is devout.
During a scheduled group outing to the corn maze in Parkland County, Ferzli retrieved a knife from his vehicle. When the opportunity presented itself, he pulled the knife and jumped on Farnsworth from behind, stabbing him in the neck. RCMP body camera footage showed Ferzli laying on top of Farnsworth with the knife lodged in his neck, his hands and arms covered in blood.
According to testimony, Ferzli told Farnsworth: "I'm killing 666, you're the demon and you're a Nazi." Later, Ferzli testified: "I thought I was doing God's will — I thought I was someone special."
Ferzli was diagnosed with schizophrenia in his early twenties. He and his three brothers were named after saints and angels. Ferzli sometimes identifies himself as Michael the archangel, who defeats Satan in the Book of Revelation. He fixates on colours and numerology. Red clothing bothers him; before the stabbing, he donated or discarded all red clothing, including a Team Canada jersey.
Ferzli told a nurse that Farnsworth had a swastika tattoo and a vest with a 666 patch, and that "He thought I was ready to join his Aryan race gang." To the nurse, Ferzli said: "It's hard for me to play nice in the sandbox with Joe."
Before the maze visit, Ferzli was thinking about the biblical story of Cain and Abel — "two went in and one came out," as he put it. "I thought Joe was a demon," Ferzli testified. He had been thinking about killing Farnsworth that summer.
The facts
Who died in the Edmonton Corn Maze incident?
Joseph Farnsworth, 53, was stabbed in the neck and killed on August 27, 2024.
Why is Michael Ferzli seeking a not criminally responsible verdict?
Ferzli, 43, has schizophrenia, which he says affected his mental state at the time of the stabbing.
What was the relationship between Ferzli and Farnsworth?
Both men lived together at a supervised group home for mental health patients in 2024. They initially got along, but Ferzli alleged that Farnsworth tried to recruit him into a neo-Nazi gang.
What did Ferzli say when he stabbed Farnsworth?
Ferzli told Farnsworth: 'I'm killing 666, you're the demon and you're a Nazi.'
