CALGARY – A judge has ruled that a man who killed an Alberta peace officer two years ago is not criminally responsible for the death.
Trevor Kloschinsky was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Rod Lazenby in 2012.
The judge ruled that Kloschinsky’s mental state meant he probably did not realize that what he was doing was wrong.
Lazenby, who was 62, died after going to Kloschinsky’s rural property south of Calgary to investigate an animal complaint.
Lazenby was a retired RCMP officer who was responsible for enforcing bylaws in the Municipal District of Foothills near Calgary.
Doctors testified at Kloschinsky’s trial that he was “actively psychotic” and his lawyer argued her client was not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder.
An autopsy found Lazenby was strangled and had 56 abrasions, contusions and lacerations to the face, head, neck, body and back. He also suffered numerous internal injuries.
Kloschinsky admitted he caused Lazenby’s death. He acknowledged dropping the officer off, handcuffed and unconscious, at a southeast Calgary police station, where he told officers he had apprehended a “dog thief.”
“How do we explain to Rod’s grandchildren that someone, on paper, admitted to killing Rod… but at the same time, is not responsible for the crime,” said Rod’s daughter Meghan McLean outside the Calgary Courts Centre.
“This ruling truly does not allow the family to move on to a new level of healing,” continued McLean tearfully.”
– With files from The Canadian Press
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