A New Brunswick man accused of murdering four people in a shooting spree in Fredericton last year has been ordered to undergo another psychiatric assessment to determine if he is mentally fit to stand trial.
Matthew Raymond is charged with the first-degree murders of Fredericton police constables Sara Burns and Robb Costello and civilians Donnie Robichaud and Bobbie Lee Wright.
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Raymond has already undergone an assessment that found him fit to stand trial, but Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Fred Ferguson said today he’s ordering another assessment because of “utterances” in court and materials filed with him.
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Ferguson said determining fitness to stand trial is an ongoing obligation of the court throughout the proceeding.
The exact reasons that prompted the assessment order and other details of the pre-trial hearings remain under a publication ban.
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The psychiatrist is to file his report by the end of next week, but it will be up to a jury – once it is chosen – to determine if Raymond is fit to stand trial.
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