WINNIPEG — The man who stabbed to death and beheaded a fellow passenger on a Greyhound Bus in Manitoba has been approved to move from a mental hospital to a group home in Winnipeg.
Vince Li killed Tim McLean during the bus trip on the TransCanada Highway near Portage La Prairie in July, 2008. He was later found to be not criminally responsible for the murder, due to mental illness.
Li has resided ever since at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre but has been given increasing freedoms, including unsupervised outings in Selkirk and Winnipeg.
“Recently the Board dealt with a request from the hospital to increase privileges for Mr. Li so that the hospital could grant an extended pass to reside at a Level 5 group home in the city of Winnipeg,” John Stefaniuk, chair of the Manitoba Criminal Code Review Board told Global News Friday.
READ MORE: Vince Li could soon move to Winnipeg
Tim McLean’s mother, Carol de Delley spoke to Global News over the phone Friday afternoon, “My heart drops because this is solidifying my fear that I’ve had since the beginning of this. I’ve been trying to make people aware of the fact that this individual is going to be walking amongst us again. And it’s just now that he’s actually going to be out in the neighborhood that people are starting to hear what I’ve been saying.”
At a hearing at the board in February, doctors recommended he move to a psychiatric unit at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre and “with continuous assessment” possibly be allowed to move to a Level 5 group home in Winnipeg.
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READ MORE: Timeline of decisions in the case of Vince Li
It’s not known if Li has yet made the move, or the location of the facility where he may be staying.
Stefaniuk says a level 5 group home typically has 24 hour staffing, supervision and administration of medication, and “at the very least a curfew.”
READ MORE: Winnipeggers react to increased freedoms for Vince Li
Li’s doctors have consistently praised his progress during treatment for schizophrenia, and say he is a very low risk to re-offend violently, as long as he stays on his medication.
READ MORE: Vince Li’s risk of offending again is low, psychiatric experts say
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