Board reviews Li’s case in June

THE Manitoba Criminal Code Review Board will decide Vincent Li’s fate at a June 1 hearing. Relying solely on a report complied by Dr Stanley Yaren, a judge found  Li not criminally responsible last week for the slaying of Tim McLean on a Greyhound bus near Portage la Prairie last summer. Bev Scharikow, administrator of the review board, said board members will review the evidence and decide where Li will be sent for treatment.

Li brutally stabbed McLean as he slept on the Greyhound bus, then later decapitated him and cannibalized him. Court was told last week by Dr Stanley Yaren, that Li is a schizophrenic who thought the voice of God told him to stab and decapitate McLean.

Scharikow said the hearing will be held at the downtown Law Courts complex and will be open to the public. Scharikow said Li will appear before the board every year. It will determine if he needs to remain institutionalized or if he is well enough to be released.

The evidence put before the board for its consideration is expected to include police reports, victim impact statements and psychiatric assessments, which say Li is a risk to himself and others.

Observers believe that the board will conclude Li must be sent to a secure psychiatric facility, either at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre or the Health Sciences Centre.

Manitoba’s review board has 81 patients under its jurisdiction. The nine members of the board include three lawyers, five psychiatrists and one lay member.