A man has been found not guilty by reason of mental disorder for a 2018 stabbing death in Quesnel.
Kristopher Edward Leclair, 35, had been facing a count of second-degree murder in July 21, 2018 death of Michael Potter, who was 48 years old at the time.
Leclair was also cleared of counts of attempted murder and aggravated assault for a subsequent attack that left Sharon Tobin, 55, with life-threatening injuries during the incident at a Holborn Drive home
A man has been found not guilty by reason of mental disorder for a 2018 stabbing death in Quesnel.
Kristopher Edward Leclair, 35, had been facing a count of second-degree murder in July 21, 2018 death of Michael Potter, who was 48 years old at the time.
Leclair was also cleared of counts of attempted murder and aggravated assault for a subsequent attack that left Sharon Tobin, 55, with life-threatening injuries during the incident at a Holborn Drive home in the community south of Prince George.
That Leclair committed the acts was not at issue, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Martha Devlin said in delivering her verdict Monday at the Prince George courthouse. At question was whether he was suffering from a "disease of the mind," namely schizophrenia, that made him incapable of knowing that his actions were wrong.
Complicating matters, Leclair had been in the throes of heavy drug use. At the time, he and Potter would routinely consume $100 worth of crack cocaine each night, the court had heard.
During a trial, a psychiatrist was called on behalf of Leclair and another on behalf of of Crown prosecution, effectively leaving Devlin to choose between opposing positions - that his behaviour was due to an underlying psychotic disorder or brought on by drug-induced psychosis.
"Both experts agree that where an individual such as Mr. Leclair has a history of chronic stimulant use and develops severe psychotic symptoms, it can be very difficult to disentangle the precise cause of the psychosis," Devlin commented as she went through a lengthy account of Leclair's behaviour in the years, months and days leading up to the incident.
Devlin concluded that on a balance of probabilities psychotic delusions brought on by schizophrenia led Leclair to believing his life was in danger.
"Mr. Leclair's delusions compelled him to act the way he did," Devlin said. "He thought he was in imminent danger of being killed by Michael Potter and Sharon Tobin, who he believed were part of a conspiracy to harm him. I accept that Mr. Leclair's mental disorder had become so severe at the time of the offence that it deprived him of the mental capacity to know that his actions were morally wrong."
It took Devlin nearly two hours to read out her decision. Both Leclair and family members in the gallery were visibly relieved at the outcome which means he will avoid a term in prison.
However, Devlin also concluded Leclair's psychiatric history combined with his chronic substance abuse "creates a strong likelihood of recurring violence" and subsequently ordered him sent to the forensic psychiatric hospital in Coquitlam for a hearing on his fitness to go free or be committed to the facility for a period of time. The hearing must be held within 45 days of the verdict.
That Leclair committed the acts was not at issue, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Martha Devlin said in delivering her verdict Monday at the Prince George courthouse. At question was whether he was suffering from a "disease of the mind," namely schizophrenia, that made him incapable of knowing that his actions were wrong.
Complicating matters, Leclair had been in the throes of heavy drug use. At the time, he and Potter would routinely consume $100 worth of crack cocaine each night, the court had heard.
During a trial, a psychiatrist was called on behalf of Leclair and another on behalf of of Crown prosecution, effectively leaving Devlin to choose between opposing positions - that his behaviour was due to an underlying psychotic disorder or brought on by drug-induced psychosis.
"Both experts agree that where an individual such as Mr. Leclair has a history of chronic stimulant use and develops severe psychotic symptoms, it can be very difficult to disentangle the precise cause of the psychosis," Devlin commented as she went through a lengthy account of Leclair's behaviour in the years, months and days leading up to the incident.
Devlin concluded that on a balance of probabilities psychotic delusions brought on by schizophrenia led Leclair to believing his life was in danger.
"Mr. Leclair's delusions compelled him to act the way he did," Devlin said. "He thought he was in imminent danger of being killed by Michael Potter and Sharon Tobin, who he believed were part of a conspiracy to harm him. I accept that Mr. Leclair's mental disorder had become so severe at the time of the offence that it deprived him of the mental capacity to know that his actions were morally wrong."
It took Devlin nearly two hours to read out her decision. Both Leclair and family members in the gallery were visibly relieved at the outcome which means he will avoid a term in prison.
However, Devlin also concluded Leclair's psychiatric history combined with his chronic substance abuse "creates a strong likelihood of recurring violence" and subsequently ordered him sent to the forensic psychiatric hospital in Coquitlam for a hearing on his fitness to go free or be committed to the facility for a period of time. The hearing must be held within 45 days of the verdict.
