Warning: Some of the details in this story are disturbing. Discretion is advised.
A forensic psychiatrist took to the stand on Tuesday in the trial of a man accused of murdering a 79-year-old man inside a Nanaimo, B.C., coffee shop.
The lawyers of James Turok, who pleaded not guilty on Monday, are arguing he should be found not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder.
Dr. Robert Lacroix said he believes Turok suffers from a chronic and persistent mental disorder.
Turok is accused of killing 79-year-old Eric Kutzner in February 2022.
He was getting the Buzz Coffee House ready for the day when the accused came in through an unlocked door and allegedly stabbed him multiple times. He was found inside the coffee shop with a rag stuffed in his mouth.
Kutzner’s daughter told Global News on Tuesday that the trial is leaving the family with more questions than answers.
“Why did he choose us?” Francine Baker said.
“What did we do wrong as a group? Did my dad do something wrong? What happened?”
Lacroix said Turok had been in and out of hospital multiple times since 2012 but he was often discharged with no mandated follow-up.
“If he could stay on the drugs it sounded like he had a lovely life,” Baker said. “He had a job, he had a child, a relationship – everything that we all want to have.”
Turok has been in police custody since he was arrested on the scene.
“What’s frustrating is basically from 2012, this fellow has had issues and basically, nothing has been done about it,” Baker said.
Lacroix said Turok suffers from a “chronic and persistent mental disorder… best characterized as schizoaffective disorder bipolar type. He was apprehended minutes after the event and his mental state at that time was clearly psychotic.”
He went on to describe Turok’s symptoms that included agitated paranoia and inflated self-esteem, saying he was in communication with Elon Musk and he was able to heal others with his lymphatic fluid.
At the time of the incident, Turok repeatedly referred to the victim as a zombie or non-human entity, something he could not recall in subsequent interviews.
Baker said her family will never see justice and they may never have all the answers but when it comes to mental illness, particularly when left untreated, there are lessons to be learned.
“All it would take is an episode and it could be you or me,” Baker said.
In a statement in February 2022, Kutzner’s family described him as a “vibrant member of society” who is deeply missed by his loved ones.
“He volunteered and was a champion for the disabled in Creston, B.C. and for senior’s housing in Nanaimo, B.C.,” the family wrote.
“Eric was a smiling face at the Buzz Coffee House every day in the morning, coming in to make sure we had fresh muffins and almond croissants.”
Kutzner was awarded the Sovereign’s Medical for Volunteers in December 2015 by then-governor general David Johnston.
A description on the governor general’s website said between 2012 and 2015, Kutzner restored a property that houses and employs people with developmental and physical disabilities. He aimed to turn the property into a “viable farm” for crops, livestock, and processing dried fruits and veggies.
“He truly cared about his family and friends and made new friends every day in his travels around Nanaimo,” said his family in the statement.
— with files from Elizabeth McSheffrey
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