A Kamloops man accused of going on a deadly stabbing spree inside a North Shore apartment nearly four years ago might finally be fit to stand trial.
Michael Wayne Palmer, 47, is charged with one count of second-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder stemming from a bloody altercation in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Emergency crews were called to an apartment on Carson Crescent at about 11:30 p.m. on March 28, 2020, for a report of multiple stabbings.
Kevin White, 59, was killed and three other men suffered stab wounds. Palmer was arrested a short time later and has been in custody since.
Palmer was found unfit for trial in 2021 and has been in the custody of the B.C. Review Board ever since.
During a brief hearing Thursday in Kamloops provincial court, Crown prosecutor Katie Bouchard said the board determined last month that Palmer is likely now fit to stand trial.
But that will ultimately be up to a judge. A hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 23 at which a psychiatrist is expected to testify about Palmer’s mental state and his potential fitness.
White was a celebrated author who moved to Kamloops in 2019 to be closer to his daughter and grandchildren.
Palmer has elected to be tried by a B.C. Supreme Court judge and jury.
