Cop killer’s review hearing adjourned again
Matthew Vincent Raymond, 51, of Fredericton, was deemed not criminally responsible for murdering two police officers, two civilians Aug. 10, 2018
A Fredericton man deemed not criminally responsible due to mental disorder for four murders has seen his latest review board hearing adjourned for the second time this year.
Matthew Vincent Raymond, 52, shot and killed four people - Donnie Robichaud, Bobbie Lee Wright, and Fredericton police constables Sara Burns and Robb Costello - in the parking lot of his apartment complex at 237 Brookside Dr. the morning of Aug. 10, 2018.
The quadruple murder made national headlines, and plunged the capital into an extended period of mourning.
Raymond was charged with four counts of first-degree murder, but at the conclusion of his trial in November 2020, he was deemed not criminally responsible for those crimes due to a mental disorder at the time he committed them.
As a result, the killer fell under the purview of the New Brunswick review board, which oversees the cases of such offenders and determines dispositions.
The Criminal Code of Canada mandates annual review hearings of the cases of such offenders, and Raymond’s matter was back before the review board Tuesday.
However, Rebekah Logan, a prosecutor with the provincial Crown’s office, asked for the hearing to be set over.
She noted that the Crown had sought an opinion from a psychiatrist about a risk-assessment report that had been filed with the review board for consideration in the hearing.
“Unfortunately, as of this date, we have not received the opinion letter from the doctor,” Logan said.
She asked for more time for that opinion to be prepared.
Raymond was represented at trial by defence lawyer Nathan Gorham, and an associate with his firm, Adrian Forsythe, represented the offender at Tuesday’s proceeding.
He objected to the requested adjournment, noting Raymond’s 2023 hearing has been already postponed once.
It had originally been scheduled for Feb. 7, but Forsythe noted Tuesday it had been delayed due to health issues his client was experiencing.
The defence lawyer said the law allows for a 30-day adjournment, but he wasn’t sure if it allowed for more than one.
After a lengthy recess, the board decided to grant the adjournment.
“The New Brunswick review board would want every bit of information available to make their best decision possible,” said chairwoman Lyne Raymond.
While Matthew Raymond has a right to his hearing, she said, the victims’ families also have a right to “appropriate representation by the Crown prosecutor.”
As such, the board chairwoman said, another 30-day adjournment is reasonable.
“It is very unfortunate,” she said.
However, Lyne Raymond added that unless both counsel consent or extraordinary circumstances arise, this will be the last adjournment of the 2023 hearing.
She rescheduled the hearing for April 6.
Forsythe asked if the psychiatric expert would attend at that time should he wish to question the doctor about the opinion.
Logan said she didn’t think that would be necessary if the doctor agrees with the risk assessment, but if there’s a difference of opinion, the doctor would attend for further questioning.
At his trial, jurors heard from psychiatrists who testified that Matthew Raymond was undoubtedly suffering from a mental disorder that affected his ability to understand the nature and consequences of his actions - though there was disagreement about whether it was schizophrenia or a delusional disorder.
The killer was remanded to the Restigouche Hospital Centre, a secure psychiatric facility in Campbellton, where offenders are held for treatment.
Review board hearings are held regularly to determine if such offenders pose a significant risk to public safety, and they conclude with one of three possible outcomes: an absolute discharge, through which an offender is released back into the community without conditions; a conditional discharge, which sees release on conditions; and continued detention for further treatment.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.