Blair Donnelly’s Lawyer Argues Religious Delusions Led to Chinatown Stabbings
Blair Donnelly, the man accused of stabbing three individuals at a Vancouver Chinatown festival, is being represented by his lawyer who asserts that evidence presented during the B.C. Supreme Court trial indicates Donnelly should be deemed not criminally responsible for the attack.
Facing three counts of aggravated assault, Donnelly, who was on unescorted leave from the B.C. Forensic Psychiatric Hospital at the time of the incident on Sept. 10, 2023, has pleaded not guilty and carried a bible to court today.
During closing arguments, Donnelly’s lawyer, Glen Orris, emphasized that both Donnelly and a psychiatrist testified to his client suffering from religious delusions on the day of the stabbings. Orris pointed out that the evidence suggests Donnelly was under the belief that the stabbings were compelled by God and therefore not morally wrong.
While Donnelly has admitted to the crimes, his mental state at the time remains the focal point of the trial, according to Orris. The court heard that Donnelly had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and, more recently, with “schizoaffective disorder bipolar type” characterized by religious delusions.
The Crown counsel, Mark Myhre, is expected to deliver closing arguments soon. Testimonies revealed that Donnelly had previously been found not criminally responsible for other violent incidents due to his mental health condition.
Surveillance footage presented by the Crown captured Donnelly’s activities leading up to the attack, including purchasing a chisel and carrying out the stabbings in Chinatown. Donnelly testified that he felt compelled by a divine prompt to carry out the attacks, indicating his mental and moral distress at the time.
Keyphrase: Vancouver Chinatown stabbing case