Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION
A youth accused of killing a Brandon teen may have been in the midst of a “drug-induced psychosis” at the time of the stabbing, a Crown attorney alleges.
The accused is said to have taken pills and is reported to have acted bizarrely following the stabbing.
“At the time the victim was stabbed, (the accused) acted like nothing had happened,” Crown attorney Jim Ross alleged in Brandon court on Thursday.
The 16-year-old is charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of 18-year-old Terrance Leroy Mink.
Mink was found unresponsive by police who had been called to an apartment on the 300-block of Louise Avenue at 12:05 a.m. on Monday.
Initially, a resident there had called to have an unwelcome male removed from the home.
Mink was found in the apartment with a stab wound to his upper body. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead around 1 a.m. It seems a number of people had been at the home at the time and on Tuesday police announced that a youth had been charged.
On Thursday, the accused appeared in court and Ross and defence lawyer Ryan Fawcett asked the court to order the accused to undergo a psychological or psychiatric evaluation.
Ross said the court can hold an accused in custody and order such an assessment if it believes it’s needed for a bail application and it’s believed an accused suffers from mental illness or emotional disturbance.
They can also be ordered if it’s alleged that an accused has committed a serious violent offence.
Fawcett indicated that the accused intends to apply for bail at a later date.
More details of the allegations surrounding the killing emerged in court.
Ross said that it’s alleged that the accused had bought some “blue pills” from a young man.
The accused took the pills and began to act “bizarrely” around the time of the stabbing, Ross alleged, and responding police officers reported that the youth was at times incoherent and violent.
They believe that the youth didn’t realize he was dealing with police.
The boy was taken to a psychiatrist whose best initial assessment was that the accused had been under a “drug-induced psychosis,” Ross said.
None of the above allegations have been proven in court.
Judge John Combs ordered the assessment, which is scheduled for March 27.
Among the issues it will address is whether the accused can be held criminally responsible and whether he’s fit to stand trial.
The youth will appear in court again in early April.
The accused said nothing during Thursday’s court appearance and simply nodded or shook his head in response to questions from Combs.
» ihitchen@brandonsun.com
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition March 15, 2013
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A youth accused of killing a Brandon teen may have been in the midst of a “drug-induced psychosis” at the time of the stabbing, a Crown attorney alleges.
The accused is said to have taken pills and is reported to have acted bizarrely following the stabbing.
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A youth accused of killing a Brandon teen may have been in the midst of a “drug-induced psychosis” at the time of the stabbing, a Crown attorney alleges.
The accused is said to have taken pills and is reported to have acted bizarrely following the stabbing.
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