3rd psychiatric assessment for Despres irks victims' families

The families of Fred Fulton and Verna Decarie, the victims in the Gregory Despres double-murder trial in Fredericton, areunhappy the accused will be undergoing a lengthy third psychiatric assessment before the trial can resume.

If found unfit,Despres could not be considered criminally responsible for the murders.

Despres is accused of killing his elderly neighbours, Fulton and his wife Decarie in April 2005. Decarie was stabbed to death and Fulton was beheaded. Despres underwent two psychiatric assessments before the trial, and both times medical experts deemed him mentally fit to stand.

"It's not fair for the family to have to sit through another two months of this and wait for our day in court," said Michael Richardson, nephew of Fulton. "So, no, I'm not happy about it. I mean, Verna's family has to go through this and Freddy's family has to go through this and it's just, the court system just shouldn't allow this."

A dramatic turn of events unfolded at the trial on Thursday, when court-appointed lawyer Ed Darrah began telling Judge Judy Clendenning about disagreements with his client Despres, and about his grave concernsregarding his fitness to stand trial.

Despres reacted with a 10-minute rant, accusing Darrah of being a terrorist with connections to al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. He kept repeating that he is a licensed air force pilot and shouldn't be tried in a civilian court. Clendenning put proceedings on hold and sent the accused for a 60-day psychiatric assessment.

Clendenningsent Despres for another assessment tofind if he is mentally fit to continue with the trial, and to determinehis mental stability at the time Fulton and Decarie were killed.

Sandra Martin, Decarie's daughter, came from Nova Scotia Wednesday to hear final arguments in the trial.

"I'm really pissed off to think that we have to wait two more months, and I still don't understand what happens after two months," Martin said. "I don't know what to say. This pisses me off that I've spent all this money to travel here, and he's getting three meals a day, everything paid for and a chauffeur drive."