Jerome Bonneric not criminally responsible for stabbings
Provincial Court found Bonneric not criminally responsible for Vancouver stabbing spree in Jan. 2013
The man responsible for injuring seven people in a stabbing spree at a Vancouver apartment building last year was found not criminally responsible on Thursday.
Jerome Bonneric, a French national in his mid-30s, admitted to the January 2013 stabbing spree that sent six people to hospital — including three men and three women — on several floors of an apartment building on the 1200 block of Barclay Street in Vancouver's West End. A seventh person and a peace officer were treated for injuries on scene.
Bonneric was arrested in the building a short time later, and charged with twelve counts of assault, including aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, common assault and assaulting a peace officer. Bonneric pleaded not guilty, and blamed the incident on a sudden psychotic episode.
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On Thursday, a B.C. Provincial Court judge found Bonneric not criminally responsible for his actions.
"The finding is that he's found not criminally responsible by reason of a mental disorder. That's the formal finding of the court because there was evidence presented to the court earlier in the proceedings in relation to Mr. Bonneric's mental state. There was psychiatric evidence presented to the courts," said Neil Mackenzie, spokesman with the B.C. Criminal Justice Branch.
Bonneric will remain in custody until a review board decides what happens next. The options range from a total discharge to keeping him in custody at a forensic psychiatric facility.