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Murderer found not guilty due to mental illness

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 12 Apr, 2024 01:14 PM
  • Murderer found not guilty due to mental illness

A man who stabbed 79-year-old Eric Kutzner to death in a Nanaimo coffee shop two years ago has been found not criminally responsible on account of a mental disorder. 

James Turok was convicted of second-degree murder in a B-C Supreme Court but will instead stay at the provincial forensic psychiatric hospital, Associate Chief Justice Heather Homes has ruled. 

Holmes says Turok’s mental disorder made him incapable of appreciating the nature of his actions. 

The trial heard that Turok’s mental health had been declining before the murder, and he told police after the stabbing at the Buzz Coffee House that his victim was a zombie.

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