Man accused of killing parents, stabbing supervisor at Winnipeg hospital not criminally responsible: lawyers
Trevor Farley conceded he committed all 3 attacks, but pleaded not guilty in court
A man accused of killing his parents and trying to kill his work supervisor at a Winnipeg hospital two years ago is pleading not guilty on the basis of a mental disorder medical experts say made him not criminally responsible for his actions.
There was a gasp from the gallery in a Winnipeg courtroom Monday when Trevor Robert Farley entered his plea in front of Manitoba Court of King's Bench Justice Ken Champagne.
Farley, now 39, was charged with first-degree murder for killing his mother Judy Swain, 73, and second-degree murder in the death of his father, 73-year-old Stuart Farley.
He was also charged with attempted murder in the stabbing of his former supervisor, Candyce Szkwarek, at Seven Oaks General Hospital in Winnipeg on Oct. 27, 2021 — the same day court heard he killed his parents. Farley worked as a registered nurse at Seven Oaks after graduating in 2014.
Sheriffs escorted him into court in shackles while about three dozen friends and family of the victims and Farley in the gallery looked on.
Farley conceded he committed all three crimes, but Crown attorneys Shannon Benevides and Rustyn Ullrich, and Farley's defence lawyers Evan Roitenberg and Laura Robinson, jointly recommended he be found not criminally responsible based on the opinion of a team of mental health experts.
Believed victims 'contaminated by evil'
Psychiatric and psychological experts tasked with evaluating Farley found he suffered from "religious-based" hallucinations and "delusional beliefs" that made him think his parents and former supervisor were "contaminated by evil" and he had to "cut the contamination" out to save them, court heard.
The experts also reviewed documents from crisis response centre visits Farley made before the incidents, which noted signs of religious-based hallucinations. He told his wife by phone a day earlier that he was "a prophet," court heard.
The couple, who have four children together, separated shortly before the incidents — which was a source of stress for Farley, court heard.
A psychiatric health team that evaluated Farley shortly before the attacks also noted he was experiencing "auditory hallucinations of an angel telling him he was a prophet of God" and reported "intense thoughts of suicide."
"In this tragic set of circumstances, you have to bear in mind that one doesn't through their counsel bring a not a criminally responsible plea before the court lightly," Roitenberg told court.
A person can be found not criminally responsible in cases in Canada where mental illness is proven to have been a factor that made it impossible for them to comprehend their actions or know they were wrong.
Sought help more than once
Roitenberg said in the days leading up to the attacks, there were signs Farley was taking initiative to get help for the symptoms of mental illness he was experiencing.
He said Farley attended either the Health Sciences Centre (HSC) or St. Boniface Hospital four times in the days before — which included checking himself into the Mental Health Crisis Response Centre, next to HSC, the night before the attacks.
The experts who evaluated Farley suggested he may have bipolar disorder and was likely in the grips of a major depressive episode with anxious distress and psychotic qualities at the time of the attacks.
Investigators spoke with Farley's supervisors and learned before the attacks "he was very vocal about being against the COVID vaccine," court heard. Under public health orders at the time, unvaccinated health-care workers in hospitals had to provide negative test results every 48 hours to work.
Six days before the attack, Farley refused to share test results with his employer and then missed work for three days. Farley resigned from his job via email on Oct. 26.
The same day, he went back to the crisis centre at 11 p.m. asking for mental health support. By early the next morning, a psychiatric health team determined Farley should be involuntarily admitted, court heard.
But shortly before noon on Oct. 27, Farley walked out of the building and drove away. The centre then called the police.
The crisis response centre "has relatively limited ability to keep people who desire to leave," according to court documents attesting to Farley being not criminally responsible.
The current practice is to "try to persuade people to stay if they are on involuntary status, but if people are quick and not conspicuous they are able to leave the premises relatively easily," the documents state.
Timeline of killings
Farley went on to kill his father in his home on Toronto Street in Winnipeg shortly before noon that day. He then drove to the home of his mother in New Bothwell, Man., southeast of Winnipeg.
When he arrived, his mother was on the phone with his wife, who heard her "scream Trevor's name," court heard. His wife called police, who arrived to find Farley's mother dead.
That's when police began tracking him down through a combination of cellphone tower pings and data from a GPS OnStar device in his vehicle.
Farley drove to St. Boniface Hospital from his mother's place. A nurse there told investigators she had an "unusual interaction" with him and that he asked "you know who I am?" before he walked out about 15 minutes after he arrived.
Farley then went back to the crisis response centre, but only got as far as the vestibule before turning around and leaving moments later, court heard.
After that, he drove to Seven Oaks Hospital in the city's northwest and stabbed his former supervisor.
"Because of the psychosis, he believed he was saving them," said Benevides.
Farley had no prior criminal record.
Champagne is expected to provide a decision Tuesday on whether he will accept the joint recommendation from the Crown and defence to find Farley not criminally responsible.
Four victim impact statements are also expected to be presented in court Tuesday.
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