The Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) submitted an application to the court to classify Kim Lebel as a high-risk offender. The Crown therefore wants to ensure that its outings are monitored in a more structured and comprehensive manner.
The 31-year-old was declared not criminally responsible on June 6 for the murder of his neighbor Jacques Côté in April 2022.
Crown representative Me Jean-Simon Lebel and defense prosecutor Me Éva Bouchard presented their arguments to the Supreme Court on Tuesday at the Quebec courthouse.
Judge Carl Thibault must decide whether Mr. Lebel should be classified as a high-risk offender. If this were the case, it would be subject to close monitoring and stricter oversight.
Among other things, the treatment team should create a detailed plan for each of their accompanied outings, outlining clear goals for the patient’s well-being.
Hospital detention
The forensic psychiatrist who treated the man who killed his neighbor with a metal rod in Lac-Saint-Charles, Marie-Josée Beauchemin, has been called to testify about her patient’s current condition. In a report prepared for Kim Lebel’s October 12 appearance before the Mental Disorders Examination Commission (CETM), Dr. Beauchemin that the thirty-year-old should remain in custody in the hospital with the permission of accompanied excursions.
However, she claims that Kim Lebel has been very receptive to her treatment and that her condition has improved since her arrival at the forensic psychiatric rehabilitation unit.
“He takes his medication and accepts the treatments voluntarily. “He was very open from our first meetings,” she told the court.
Change in diagnosis
The forensic psychiatrist also confirmed that the change in her patient’s medication made a big difference to his condition, as did the evolution of his diagnosis.
After three months of treatment, Dr. Beauchemin diagnosed Kim Lebel with schizoaffective disorder in August 2022. He had previously been diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder by a psychiatrist who treated him for several years.
Kim Lebel, who sat in court with her parents on Tuesday, was therefore prescribed antidepressants, but not an antipsychotic. According to Marie-Josée Beauchemin, the opposite should have been done.
She also recommends that Mr. Lebel be treated with antipsychotics for life to avoid “hallucinatory phenomena related to his beliefs.”
The family demands justice
The victim’s family, who were also at the scene, supports the Crown’s request to ensure better public safety.
“I want us to be heard so that there is a minimum of justice. That’s all I ask,” said Simon Côté, the victim’s son, in an interview with TVA Nouvelles.
The hearing continues on October 31 with psychiatrist Sylvain Faucher, who prepared the report that helped justify Kim Lebel’s lack of criminal responsibility due to mental disorders.
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