Violent Waterford assault that led to murder charge is shocking, but 'not entirely surprising,' CMHA says

The violent death of a Waterford psychiatric hospital patient has shed light on "major systemic issues" that need to be resolved in Newfoundland and Labrador's mental health system, an advocate says. 

Thomas Parsley, 30, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of a fellow patient at the Waterford. Police said a "serious assault" occurred last Thursday, and the injured man, 66, later died. 

When she heard the news, Chandra Kavanagh said she was deeply saddened for everyone involved, but said "there are ways in which these kinds of incidents can be predicted."

"Yes, it's shocking, but in some ways not entirely surprising when our system has been under so much strain and our mental health as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians has been under so much strain," she told CBC News Monday. 

Kavanagh said she wants to known what policies were in place to keep everyone safe in the situation, and whether they were followed. 

She said violence in the mentally ill community is rare, but added the health-care system needs to be questioned so violent incidents can be prevented. 

WATCH:Chandra Kavanagh says there are numerous problems with how the mental health system operates:

Violent assault shows weaknesses in mental health system, says expert

23 hours ago

Duration 1:45

Thomas Parsley, 30, was tearful during a court appearance Monday in St. John’s on a second-degree murder charge. Chandra Kavanagh of the Canadian Mental Health Association says an attack last week at the Waterford psychiatric hospital shows there are “major systemic issues” involving mental health. Arlette Lazarenko reports.

Parsley, whose charges were upgraded on the weekend following the death of the 66-year-old man, appeared briefly again in provincial court in St. John's on Monday. The case was set over until Dec. 30. 

Parsley had been sent to the Waterford for a psychiatric assessment after a court appearance last week. 

Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services is investigating. 

Lessons to be learned 

Kavanagh said pointing fingers is not the key to preventing tragedy. 

The key, she said, is change.

With the new adult Mental Health and Addictions Centre on the way in St. John's, Kavanagh said action needs to be taken at the community level before relying on a new building to solve problems.

She said the incident needs to be investigated and shared with the public so solutions can come to light.

"The impacts of something like this are incredibly far reaching," Kavanagh said. "It impacted everyone involved in this situation, all of the healthcare personnel, family members, friends.

"And unfortunately, when tragic incidents like this happen, we can end up in very stigmatizing conversations about mental health," said Kavanagh. 

When tragedy strikes in the mentally ill community, Kavanagh said to remember mental illness is nobody's fault, and that there is help available for those who are struggling. 

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.