Sussex man not criminally responsible for killing father
Manitoba court rules Dana Craig didn't understand what was happening due to psychotic episode
A 26-year old Sussex man has been found not criminally responsible for killing his father due to mental illness.
Dana Craig was charged with second-degree murder after his father Terry Craig, 63, was found strangled and stabbed to death in a Motel 6 room in Brandon, Man., on April 10.
Mr. Justice John Menzies ruled Dana Craig was in the midst of an acute psychotic episode at the time of the killing and didn't understand what was happening at the time.
It was the ruling the family was hoping for.
"I'm relieved, I'm really relieved," said Dwayne Craig, brother of Terry Craig. "Especially for his mother."
Dana Craig struggled with mental illness since his youth. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder years ago. But he had finished a college degree and was living in Alberta.
But in the days leading up to April 10, Dana Craig's parents in Sussex had detected something was not right with their son in Alberta as he was acting strangely.
"They phoned the hotline for mental health," said Dwayne Craig. "And this is where the system failed them."
Dana Craig saw a doctor, but the doctor didn't find anything wrong. But Terry Craig still felt his son wasn't well, so he drove to Alberta to pick him up.
It was on the drive back to New Brunswick that Dana Craig killed his father in a Manitoba hotel room.
Dana Craig remains in custody with a review board to determine what happens next. His family is hoping Dana Craig will be transferred to the Restigouche Health Centre, a mental health facility in Campbellton, where he'll be closer to his family.
Dwayne Craig is still trying to process what has happened, months after the killing.
"There is no explanation," said Dwayne Craig. "There's absolutely nobody that you can blame."