Defendants in two major cases of mass homicide are seeking a verdict of not criminally responsible by reason of a mental disorder.
In New Brunswick, a jury will hear final arguments on Monday in the case of Matthew Raymond, a psychotic spree killer who has pleaded NCR to four counts of first degree murder, including two police officers. Jurors have already heard he was delusional because of schizophrenia back in 2018, and that he believed his victims were demons coming for him, because he had made disordered mathematical calculations.
In Toronto, a judge is hearing the case of van rampage killer Alek Minassian, 28, without a jury. This one is unusual because the mental illness in question is reportedly an autism spectrum disorder, which is not usually associated with psychosis or losing touch with reality, but in Minassian’s case involved similarly distorted thinking, according to a defense psychiatric report described by the prosecution. No expert witness psychiatrist has yet testified.
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