[Blahgzilla]

A judge in Portage La Prairie has found Vincent Li fit to stand trial for the slaying of Tim McLean aboard a Greyhound bus on July 31st.


The ruling comes after a psychiatric evaluation ordered by the court. It is entirely possible that at this moment, Li is competent enough to assist in his own defense, but this is only because he will have been given powerful anti-psychotic medication. The obvious track his defense will take is that at the time of the attack, Li was non compos mentis, unable to appreciate his actions and distinguish right from wrong.


It seems rather illogical to even bother holding a trial in instances such as this, instances where a psychiatric professional or panel thereof could simply declare the offender incompetent by reason of mental disease or defect, an commit him for an indeterminate period of time. This would save an already over-burdened justice system the cost of a trial and it would save the loved ones of the victim the heartbreak of having to hear the gory details of Tim's final moments on Earth.

However, to do so would be to take away an accuseds substantive due process. A slippery slope in all sorts of directions, which at its worst would result in either abuse of authority, or in a large number of guilty going essentially free.

Li's next scheduled court appearance is November 8th. The tragic saga continues.

[hwacker]

Putting the POS away for life instead of the liberal way of sending him to some clinic for 5 years then putting him back on the street is fine by me.

Option A would have been to send him back to China and let them chop him up for spare parts and make use of a useless person.

[roger-roger]

I think they are looking for someone to punish, they dont feel a horrific crime like this can go "unpunished". If he is a landed immigrant he should be deported, thats if China will take him back.