The man who killed his mother with an axe over the Christmas holidays in 2020 has been found not criminally responsible for his actions.

The B.C. Supreme Court handed down its decision Thursday, May 5, in the case of Kevin Webster, who killed Moirin Webster on Dec. 27, 2020, in Gibsons.

RCMP officers arrived at the house at about 11:30 p.m. that night in response to a 911 call, and detained Kevin Webster who was at the front door speaking on the phone with a dispatcher, according to court records. His mother was found in a second-floor bedroom dead with 害羞草研究所済rievous wounds to the head害羞草研究所� and a bloody axe on the pillow beside her.

Judge Geoffrey Gomery said, in his judgment, that Webster called police after the attack and 害羞草研究所減rovided an account of the assault that includes details that could only have been known to the murderer or a witness害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所渢here is nothing at all to indicate害羞草研究所� that anyone else was at the house.

A forensic psychiatrist told the court that Webster has 害羞草研究所渁 well-established diagnosis of treatment refractory schizophrenia, as well as multiple substance use disorder,害羞草研究所� though there is no evidence he consumed drugs or alcohol on the night of the killing and he was not intoxicated at the time of the crime.

Webster gave various accounts as to his reasons for the killing: fear that family members had a plan to murder him and steal his possessions, a response to being scolded for smoking in the living room, and the notion that he was 害羞草研究所渢old害羞草研究所� or compelled to kill.

害羞草研究所淲ebster害羞草研究所檚 thinking when he attacked his mother was psychotically driven. It was grounded in an entrenched paranoid belief that he was the target of a murderous conspiracy,害羞草研究所� the judge said. 害羞草研究所淲hat is striking is that it was also uncertain and ambivalent. In simple terms, [he] did not know what to think.害羞草研究所�

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The court heard that in the weeks leading up to the killing, Webster had been in a residential care facility which 害羞草研究所渃ould not manage害羞草研究所� his behaviour, discharged to a shelter and then 害羞草研究所渋nvoluntarily害羞草研究所� admitted to a hospital psychiatric ward before his mother took him in. On Christmas Day, two days before the killing, Webster stopped at a hospital twice asking to speak to a psychiatrist, then tried a third time, asking to see any doctor, but wouldn害羞草研究所檛 provide reasons for seeking care and left.

The judge said that not only was Webster 害羞草研究所減reoccupied by delusional beliefs害羞草研究所� at the time of the crime, but his whole thinking process was irrational.

害羞草研究所淗is mental disorder had deprived him of the ability to know that his conduct was wrong,害羞草研究所� the judge concluded.

Webster will remain in the custody at a psychiatric hospital pending a review board decision within 45 days.

editor@nanaimobulletin.com
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