Accused killer Matthew Raymond to get longer psychiatric assessment

A psychiatric assessment of Matthew Raymond, accused of shooting four people to death in Fredericton last August, is taking longer than expected.

Raymond is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths two police officers and two civilians.

In December, provincial court Judge Julian Dickson ordered a 60-day psychiatric assessment to determine if Raymond is  not criminally responsible.

But on Friday at the Fredericton courthouse, the court ordered an additional 30-day assessment because "the assessment that was ordered by the court was incomplete," said defence lawyer Gilles Lemieux.

Lemieux said the law dictates that an assessment should take a maximum of 60 days, but since the court was not satisfied with the assessment, the judge ordered a new 30-day one to add to what was already learned.

Raymond will be back in court March 8 at 1:30 p.m.

When complete, the assessment will determine if Raymond, 48, is not criminally responsible in the Aug. 10 deaths of Fredericton police constables Robb Costello, 45, and Sara Burns, 43, and civilians Donnie Robichaud, 42, and Bobbi Lee Wright, 32.

Defence lawyer Alison Ménard previously told CBC that the purpose of such assessments is to determine whether, at the time of the offence, "did they suffer from a mental disorder that would exempt them from responsibility?"

Lemiex said he didn't object to the additional assessment because "it's probably in the client's best interest to have the court know what his actual mental state is."

Information about the psychiatric assessment falls under a publication ban.

Raymond was previously ruled mentally fit to stand trial after undergoing a different kind of assessment in November.