Home NEWS Accused Fredericton shooter unfit to stand trial, jury decides | CBC News

Accused Fredericton shooter unfit to stand trial, jury decides | CBC News

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Accused Fredericton shooter unfit to stand trial, jury decides | - News

A Fredericton jury has decided Matthew Vincent Raymond is unfit to stand trial at this time on four charges of first-degree murder.Matthew Raymond being led into the courthouse for the fifth day of his fitness hearing. (Hadeel Ibrahim/CBC)A Fredericton jury has decided Matthew Vincent Raymond is unfit to stand trial at this time on four charges of first-degree murder. Raymond, 49, is charged in the shooting deaths of Const. Sara Burns, Const. Robb Costello, and civilians Donnie Robichaud and Bobbie Lee Wright. They were killed the morning of Aug. 10, 2018, at an apartment building on Brookside Drive on Fredericton’s north side.The jury of eight women and four men gave their verdict on Friday after hearing testimony from a forensic psychiatrist and a member of Raymond’s defence team, as well as audio recordings from court proceedings and interviews with his lawyer. The jury took 2½ hours to decide he is not fit to stand trial because his mental illness prevents him from being able to defend himself through a lawyer. Matthew Raymond is brought into the Fredericton courthouse, where his fitness hearing has been held this week. (Hadeel Ibrahim/CBC) A person who is found unfit is prescribed a treatment order of 30 or 60 days and reassessed for fitness after that. Once someone is found unfit by a jury, they will have to go through treatment even if it’s against their will. Justice Fred Ferguson previously said being found unfit does not mean Raymond won’t go to trial once he’s deemed fit. The fitness hearing was requested by Raymond’s lawyer Nathan Gorham in mid-August “by reason of a mental disorder.”  Ferguson found there was enough evidence to call the fitness hearing after seeing some of Raymond’s behaviour in court and what he’d said to people during interviews. In a fitness hearing, jurors aren’t expected to decide if someone is fit or unfit beyond a reasonable doubt. Their verdict must be reached based on a balance of probabilities. On Friday, this jury decided it’s more likely than not that Raymond is not fit to stand trial. Two people testified at the hearing: forensic psychiatrist Dr. Scott Woodside and Alex Pate, an articling student who works with Raymond’s defence lawyer. The jury also heard audio recordings as evidence of Raymond’s behaviour outside and inside court. On mobile? Get the latest details from our live blog The question of fitness to stand trial addresses an accused person’s current mental state and not their state of mind during an alleged crime. It is distinct from criminal responsibility.  Gorham previously said unfitness will not be a defence strategy he will employ.

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