WARNING: This story contains details, including photo and video, that may be disturbing to some readers.
A woman who tried to kill a rival inside a B.C. courtroom with a hammer and a fish knife should spend 16-18 years in prison, prosecutors told a judge on Thursday.
The submissions revealed a wide gulf between what the Crown would like to see, and the six-year sentence Catherine Shen’s defence lawyers feel is appropriate.
Shen was convicted on four counts, including attempted murder, in the attack that left Jing (Becky) Lu with critical injuries.
The shocking attack unfolded on May 25, 2021, as Shen and Lu were locked in a civil dispute being litigated at B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.
On the day of the attack, Shen entered the court carrying the two weapons in her purse. Bag checks and metal detector screenings are not standard at the courthouse, and no one checked the contents of Shen’s purse.
Shen then stabbed Lu multiple times inside the courtroom where the matter was being held, managing at least 10 downward blows with each weapon according to evidence heard at trial.
As the attack unfolded, court Sheriffs rushed to her side and were able to disarm her and take her into custody.
Last month, Lu provided a tearful victim impact statement.
“Until today, I am still shocked and fail to understand how a civil case evolved into an event that almost took my life.”
The gruesome attack was the capstone to a long and acrimonious dispute between the two women, involving a decade-long battle over social media.
The two women had met on a Chinese website meant to help new immigrants connect.
In delivering her verdict in the case, Justice Catherine Denhoff found Shen guilty of attempted murder, aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon.
She also rejected a defence argument that Shen was not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder (NCRMD).
“It is not enough that Ms. Shen had a mental disorder. Rather, the mental disorder had to have been so severe as to render Ms. Shen incapable of understanding that her actions were wrong,” Denhoff ruled.
Despite this, Shen’s mental health remains a factor in the case, and could affect her ultimate sentence, and the sentencing hearing has been put on hold so the judge can hear further evidence from one of her psychiatrists.
Hearings are slated to resume on Nov. 29.