Fredericton shooter's computer shows focus shifting from video games to anti-Muslim sentiment
Matthew Raymond had material about 'atrocities' committed by ISIS, anti-Trudeau messaging
Matthew Raymond's defence team is painting an image of a man losing interest in biking and video games, and instead seeking information on ISIS, anti-Muslim sentiment, demons and the occult.
Raymond. 50, is facing four counts of first degree murder after he shot and killed Donnie Robichaud and Bobbie Lee Wright, then Fredericton constables Sara Burns and Robb Costello when they responded to a report of shots fired at 237 Brookside Dr. on Aug. 10, 2018.
Raymond has admitted to the shooting but pleaded not guilty. His lawyers are arguing he was not criminally responsible because of a mental illness.
The Crown and defence have agreed Raymond was mentally ill at the time of the killing, leaving the defence with the burden to prove his mental illness prevented him from knowing what he was doing, or knowing what he did was wrong.
A digital timeline
Alex Pate, a member of the defence team, testified he reviewed tens of thousands of photos and videos on Raymond's hard drives, spanning from 2015 to 2018.
In 2015 the vast majority of the files were related to video games and mountain biking, he said. There were also some videos of Raymond with his family or with a group of people.
The year 2016 was largely the same.
In March of 2017 the data shifted focus to the terrorist organization ISIS and some of the "atrocities" they were committing in the Middle East, Pate said. This focus persisted until August of 2017, when Pate said the content became more focused on occult numbers, demons and serpents.
Pate said he found quite a few "extremely graphic" and "brutal" images and videos related to ISIS on Raymond's hard drives. In March of 2017 alone, there were about 10 "extremely violent" videos, Pate said, and somewhere between 10 and 20 images.
In 2017, materials also included references to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He found comments written on images of Trudeau that say he was responsible for "mass immigration," and the loss of Canadian values, Pate said.
In early 2017 the data also began leaning toward anti-Islam and anti-Muslim-immigration, Pate said.
The jury was shown a video by Fredericton blogger Charles LeBlanc from June of 2017. In it, Raymond was protesting the recently passed motion known as M-103, which calls for a national action plan against racism, including Islamophobia. He wore a sandwich board that read "No Sharia-law."
LeBlanc confronted Raymond and asked him if he's mentally ill. Raymond said no. Raymond said he gets his news from "the internet."
"They talk about the borders and stuff. And they talk about it on Rebel Media."
Pate testified the first video from a YouTube conspiracy theorist who identifies himself as Rob Lee was saved in May 2017, before this encounter. The video included material about Muslim immigration and ISIS, he said.
In the Charles LeBlanc video Raymond spoke about how Muslims are going to change Canadian society for the worse, and that there are "boatloads of them."
Pate testifies this is a similar message to the Rob Lee video from May.
From skating videos to ISIS conspiracies
The jury was shown multiple videos taken by Raymond. From 2015, some were of a family holiday dinner, another was of a skating outing.
Jumping to 2017, the jury was shown videos from a YouTube channel. The name of it is under a publication ban imposed by Justice Larry Landry. Pate testified some of the videos uploaded to the channel could be made by Raymond himself.
The first video on the channel, posted in March of 2017, has references to Trudeau speaking at a Muslim event and participating in a prayer. The five-minute-long video ends with ISIS-related photos, some graphic, and a clip of Trudeau saying he will not support a war in Iraq.
The final frame is a closeup of Trudeau's face with text that reads "Justin Trudeau is dangerous."
Pate said he also found this video on Raymond's computer, and not just posted on the channel.
Justice Landry told the jury Tuesday this trial is expected to continue until the end of the month. The defence intends to call six witnesses.
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