Was the greyhound killer a victim of a mental instability?

Question

I just think if this is true, people need to separate the guy from the deed he committed, to some extent at least.

It is very likely this guy was not acting in his conscience when he robotically committed these atrocities which makes this case even sadder because there is no just solution here.

I think he fell into a catatonic schizoid state of mind from the Zorro movie and was acting without awareness to where he was, who he was harming, and the consequences of his horrific act.

As horrible as this crime was, there needs to be a very fair psychiatric evaluation of the killer, don't you agree?

In the best case scenario, he should be quarantined from society, but maybe in a mental health unit and NOT in a prison cell.

Answer 1

If you are asking was he a victim of mental instability - I do not know.

If you are asking do I think he was a victim of mental instability - yes I think so but I am not likely to be on the jury so what I think is really immaterial.

The judge has ordered a psych evaluation. Until that is made public everything else is just speculation based on very little and possibly questionable information. I never saw Zorro - doesn't sound like it's anything I want to either! There are so many varieties of dis-associative problems I would not want to be the one to make any definitive declarations. He is probably a victim of mental instability but whether it is legally a defense or not is up to the courts. Having worked for a criminal lawyer in the past, I can tell you that what seems obvious to a layman may not be and often isn't so simple in a court of law.

Answer 2

No one in their RIGHT mind would consider sawing off someone's head and then eating pieces of the body.

I know that in the Middle East and Asia, extremists often use beheadings as an act of terrorism, mostly because it is so violent and shocking to western society. But this guy was not a terrorist according to the news. He was an immigrant from China who had been here in Canada for a while now.

Regardless of who he is, he committed this violent and gruesome act and many people will no longer feel safe closing their eyes on buses and other methods of public transit. This is one case where I would rather know the perpetrator can never harm anyone again instead of trying to treat him and then release him back in the public.

The only thing I'd like to know before they lock him away or flip the switch would be what the victim did to cause him to flip out like that.

Answer 3

agreed the guy was mentally unstable and obviously having a psychotic break.  the judge has already ordered a psych evaluation... if found insane (mentally incompetent)  he still gets locked up but in a mental hospital and not a regular prison.  Either way though he will be quarantined from society for a very very long time..

There is no death penalty in canada so he is lucky (or unlucky if thats what he wants) in that respect.  

Answer 4

Its hard for me to have sympathy for this guy considering the horrible thing that he did, so I have a hard time saying that he should NOT go to prison.  I think he clearly suffers from a mental condition (or a combination of a few).  I think he should go to a prison with a reputable mental health ward after a very thorough psychiatric evaluation.  

Answer 5

he should be put in a maximum security pshychiatric institute.

Answer 6

Yes, undoubtedly.  He had completely gone nuts and may even have thought he was slicing a loaf of bread, who knows.

While no one knows what will happen to him, odds are Li will be locked up in a psychiatric hospital.  I hope so, anyway.  He's not fit for a regular prison cell.

Answer 7

This guy needs to be declared a 'Dangerous Offender', making it unlikely that he will ever be released.

Was he a victim of mental instability?  He had to be, no one who is mentally stable would be anywhere near able to do what he did.

I really don't think the Zorro movie had anything to do with it.