NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. — A defence lawyer says his client's ongoing psychosis makes him unfit to stand trial for the murder of a high school girl in Abbotsford, B.C.
Martin Peters says Gabriel Klein can't meaningfully participate in a trial because he has reported hearing voices, has difficulty communicating because of his disordered thinking, and the stress of a trial could cause his mental state to deteriorate further.
Klein is accused of the second-degree murder of 13-year-old Letisha Reimer and the aggravated assault of a second Grade 9 student who were attacked in the lobby of Abbotsford Senior Secondary in November 2016.
Peters says Klein should be remanded back to the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam, where he has been treated four times since he was arrested.
A psychiatrist who has been treating Klein told the court yesterday that the man has schizophrenia and is psychotic.
Klein's trial is set to begin May 7, but a judge first has to decide if he's mentally fit.
