Man accused of killing parents, stabbing supervisor at Winnipeg hospital not criminally responsible: lawyers

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.

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.

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.