WARNING: This story contains graphic details and is not suitable for all readers
It was a shocking Tuesday in a Vancouver B.C. Supreme Court room, where the man accused of murdering a Marpole couple in 2017 took the stand, and described the killings in detail.
Rocky Rambo Wei Nam Kam has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first degree murder in the brutal slayings of 68-year-old Richard Jones and 64-year-old Dianna Mah-Jones, whose bodies were found in their home near West 64 Avenue and Hudson Street on Sept. 27, 2017.
The court also heard the early stages of the defence’s argument, with lawyer Glen Orris telling the court Kam suffered from a mental disorder at the time of the killings and that he thought he was in a video game.
On Tuesday, Kam, whose first language is Cantonese, walked from the prisoner’s box to the witness stand, where he delivered testimony in soft, broken English, with no visible emotion.
Brutal killings
The court heard how Kam was walking down the street the day of the killings when he saw Mah-Jones taking groceries out of her car.
Kam described forcing his way into Mah-Jones’ home with a pocket knife in one hand and a hatchet in the other.
“I cover her mouth … I moved my hand down her throat to try to stop her from screaming, and when that didn’t work I use my other hand on her throat … I just tried to choke her,” Kam told the court.
“After she stopped moving, I pick up my pocket knife … I’m not sure of order … I believe I stabbed her.”
Kam told the court how he then heard a noise from the back of the home and hid behind a set of stairs as Richard Jones entered the kitchen.
READ MORE: Video, photo evidence released in trial of man accused in grisly murder of Vancouver couple
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Kam then described dragging Mah-Jones to the kitchen and tying both victims’ legs to a chair, an action he couldn’t explain.
He then cut them loose and dragged their bodies to the shower stall in the bathroom, Kam testifeid.
Police have testified they later found the couple in the shower with the water running, describing the crime scene as “catastrophic.”
Before leaving the house, Kam stopped back in the kitchen, where he described drinking milk from the fridge and eating a peach, telling the court he felt “thirsty.”
He grabbed $30, a set of keys, a wallet and some bananas before leaving the home, he testified.
Once outside, Kam took the murdered couple’s car and drove home, where he threw his bloody clothes and shoes in the trash after taking a shower, he told the court.
Videogame defence
According to Orris, Kam had become increasingly isolated in the years leading up to the killing — to the point where he was playing video games 12-13 hours a day.
Orris told the court at the time of the slayings Kam believed he was in one of those games.
“Within the game, he attacked and killed Mr. Jones and Mrs. Jones,” Orris told the court.
“He did not appreciate the nature and quality of his acts in a real sense and their consequences.”
READ MORE: ‘1 in 630-quintillion chance’ DNA found at Vancouver murder scene wasn’t from accused: expert
Orris said Kam had no prior criminal record or history of violence, and that the evidence shows there was no prior connection between Kam and the victims.
“He’s unable to explain why he did these acts. There does not appear to be logical explanations for what he did in the house … outside of a game,” said Orris.
The court also heard more about Kam’s background, including his early years in Hong Kong where he had trouble in elementary school and developed little in the way of a social life. The court heard Kam began gaming at this time.
The court heard Kam’s father was an engineer who was usually at work. Kam described his mother, who was an accountant and teacher, as “fake” and said she wanted him to do things he didn’t agree with.
The court heard that Kam was the middle child of three siblings, and eventually went to live with his brother in Calgary, where he completed a degree in economics at the University of Calgary.
It was in Calgary where Kam’s gaming escalated to take up more than half of the hours in a day, he testified.
In the summer of 2017, just months before the killings, he moved to Vancouver.
Kam’s trial took a several month break in October when the judge agreed to adjourn when the defence asked for more time to obtain psychiatric evidence for the accused.
The court has previously seen video evidence that the Crown says shows Kam buying the hatchet along with a baseball cap and gloves, about two weeks before the murder.
Kam has admitted buying the items, but it is unclear why he did.
A DNA expert has also testified that Mah-Jones’ blood was found on the inside hinge of Kam’s glasses and his DNA was found under Maj-Jones’ fingernails.
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