Man charged with 1st-degree murder of 2 Saint John boys now fit to stand trial

A Saint John man charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of two boys, aged 10 and 17, in January has been found fit to stand trial. 

Roman Kamyshnyy, 45, appeared in Saint John provincial court via video from the Restigouche Hospital Centre in Campbellton Monday, following his third psychiatric assessment.

He was charged after Saint John police found the boys dead inside an apartment on Skaling Court in the city's north end on Jan. 29 around 7 a.m., while responding to a 911 call.

Officers, who immediately forced their way in based on information they had received, also found a man they described as having life-threatening injuries, who was taken into custody and transported to hospital.

Kamyshnyy, who had been in a coma at the Saint John Regional Hospital for several days after his arrest, was sitting in a chair in an empty room for his court appearance Monday.

"Yeah, I can hear you OK," he told the Judge Scott Brittain. He rubbed his hands on his thighs and took a sip of water as the judge and lawyers discussed his case.

Brittain said a psychiatrist has now deemed Kamyshnyy fit. "I'm not going to delve into the particulars of it," he said, referring to the psychiatrist's report, dated April 3.

Legal aid lawyer Shanna Wicks said she reviewed the "high-level review report" with Kamyshnyy. "We take no issue with the finding."

She is still getting disclosure from the Crown, she said, so the case has been set over until May 5 to set a date for a preliminary inquiry — a hearing to determine if there's enough evidence to proceed to a trial.

Kamyshnyy remains in custody. He will be held at the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre, pending his next court appearance, according to court office staff.

Kamyshnyy did not have "full function" during his first court appearance on Feb. 13. He was unable to speak and did not respond when the charges were read to him. He was ordered to undergo a five-day in-hospital assessment.

He was found unfit at the time but had "improved a great deal," Det. Const. Peter Osbourne of the Saint John police advised the court on Feb. 21. Kamyshnyy was able to speak and read, seemed to understand, and was "no longer hooked up to any medical tubes or wires," Osbourne said.

The Crown prosecutor requested a further, "more fulsome report," noting the court can, "under compelling circumstances," extend an assessment for up to 60 days. The judge ordered a 30-day assessment at the Restigouche Hospital Centre.

On March 20, a second 30-day assessment was ordered.