Family of N.L. man accused of attempted murder says no one answered calls for help

A Newfoundland and Labrador judge postponed a decision Friday about whether a man charged with three attempted murders is fit to stand trial, in a case where the accused's family says the health-care system failed him and his alleged victims.

Provincial court Judge James Walsh said the doctor for Mitchell Rose requested 26 more days to complete a psychiatric assessment of his patient. The judge accepted the physician's request.

Rose's family says he has schizophrenia. Unbeknownst to them, he was discharged months ago from a court-ordered program that kept him medicated, his mother Trudy Hickey said.

She said he slipped deep into psychosis in early December, in the days before he is alleged to have assaulted several people in a St. John's apartment building. When the police phoned her, she said it felt like the ground was falling out from under her.

"I said to the police, 'Please,' she said. "'Please, please, Mitchell is sick. Please be kind.'"

On Dec. 9, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary said it received reports of a man banging on doors and screaming at an apartment building the night before. Rose is accused of sending two women to hospital with serious injuries, one in critical condition, the force said.

The following week, the constabulary said it had charged Rose with a third count of attempted murder, stemming from the incident on Dec. 8.

A provincial courtroom heard last month that Rose was being held in the forensic unit at the mental health and addictions hospital in St. John's, and that he had not taken medication in some time.

During the hearing on Friday, Rose said he understood he would remain there at least until his next court date on Feb. 11.

Janaya Rose, Mitchell Rose's sister, said thoughts about the victims keep her up at night.

"I am just constantly worried about what state they are in, what happened to them, how terrified they must have been," she said. "I pray for them every night that they're OK. I pray for my brother and I pray for the victims."

Mitchell Rose was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was around 19 years old, his sister said. His symptoms can include paranoia, hypervigilance and delusions, she said. He was put on a community treatment order in 2021.

Under the program, health-care workers would go to his home and give him monthly injections, ensuring he stayed on his medication, Janaya Rose said. The Assertive Community Treatment, or ACT, team could also check on him or bring him to the hospital if he was in crisis, she said.

Hickey was close with her son and took him out several times a week for groceries and supplies. In early December, he suddenly pulled away. He refused to see her or leave his apartment, she said.