A Wallaceburg senior who killed his wife 16 months ago because he thought she was a witch persecuting him, now has a better idea about his future.
On Wednesday, an Ontario Review Board risk assessment hearing heard a joint submission from the 95-year-old's lawyer and the lawyer for the Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care in St. Thomas where he currently resides. They are asking the panel to send the elderly man to a long-term care home that can handle dementia patients.
The hearing heard from the hospital's lawyer that the senior poses a "significant threat" and that assessment was not challenged. Dr. Jason Quinn, a psychiatrist at the mental health centre in St. Thomas, told the panel that the man was in denial of the murder and he couldn't promise it wouldn't happen again.
Quinn said the long-term care home for dementia patients is better for him, has around-the-clock supervision, and added the St. Thomas facility doesn't have age-appropriate activities to keep him stimulated.
The 95-year-old was found not criminally responsible for his wife's death in early February.
The man can’t be named to protect the victim’s identity.
The senior was charged with second-degree murder by Chatham-Kent police after officers found his 89-year-old wife without vital signs at an apartment on Margaret Avenue in Wallaceburg on December 26, 2020.
A fitness hearing at the Chatham Superior Court on February 2, 2022 revealed he strangled his wife in bed.
The Ontario Review Board is expected to have a decision on the matter in about a week, but it seemed everyone at the hearing is on board with the terms of the recommendation.