Accused in fatal stabbing of taxi driver unable to control behaviour due to mental illness, forensic psychiatrist tells court
The mental health of a 22-year-old Winnipeg man accused of murdering a taxi driver was the focus of a forensic psychiatrist’s testimony Tuesday in court.
Okoth Obeing is on trial for second-degree murder in the March 2020 death of Balvir Toor, 44, on Burrows Avenue in the city’s North End.
The Crown has told court Obeing is criminally responsible due in part to a dislike of cab drivers over requests for prepayments, which prosecutors are arguing he viewed as disrespect. But lawyers for the accused disagree, pointing to Obeing’s mental illness and its impact on his thoughts and behaviour.
Defence lawyers played portions of surveillance video from Winnipeg Police Service headquarters Tuesday in the Manitoba Court of King's Bench.
It's video of the accused in the custody of Winnipeg police following his arrest on Mar. 19, 2020, just hours after the homicide.
Dr. Jeffrey Waldman, a forensic psychiatrist who court heard conducted an assessment of Obeing, testified Obeing's actions in the video are consistent with his mental illness.
"His emotions are extremely dysregulated and he's having trouble controlling his behaviour despite the circumstances,” Waldman told Justice Joan McKelvey.
It's a trial court has heard is about state of mind.
Video from inside the taxi captured Obeing fatally stabbing Toor. Court has heard the driver was stabbed 17 times before Obeing ran from the scene of the incident.
During questioning by Alex Steigerwald, Obeing’s lawyer, Waldman testified Obeing has bipolar disorder and has episodes of mania.
“He becomes more agitated and aggressive and that is his main presentation,” Waldman told the court.
Steigerwald later asked Waldman if Obeing knew or understood what he was doing when he pulled out the knife in Toor's taxi.
“The symptoms of his illness left him unable to use thought to control his behaviour,” Waldman testified.
Asked by Steigerwald if Obeing understood what he was doing when he began to stab Toor, Waldman testified: “The symptoms of his illness left him unable to consciously control his behaviour at that point."
Court has heard Obeing was discharged from hospital Mar. 10, 2020, after being taken to the Crisis Response Centre Feb. 26, 2020.
Waldman testified it's his opinion Obeing was released too soon with an inadequate dose of anti-psychotic medication, medication court has heard Obeing reported he wasn't taking in the days leading up to Toor's killing.
Court has also heard Obeing was on probation for a dispute with a taxi driver in July 2019 in which he pleaded guilty to mischief.
The Crown is set to begin cross-examination of Waldman on Wednesday.
The trial continues.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.