The lawyer for the man accused of a fatal stabbing at Abbotsford Senior Secondary School says Gabriel Klein is now fit to stand trial.
The B.C. Review Board held a hearing today to determine if new medication for Klein would make it possible for him to stand trial for the murder of Letisha Reimer in 2016 and the assault of a second girl.
A psychiatrist indication that new medication had worked, and Klein himself spoke at the hearing coherently. He said he is no longer hearing voices and is able to focus.
The board has not yet made an official decision, but board members expressed agreement that Klein sounded ready to stand trial. The chair of the board said the process would be expedited to get the case back before the courts as soon as possible.
The review board’s finding would then go to a judge, who could make a finding that Klein is legally fit to stand trial. A trial date would then need to be found.
Klein, 21, was charged with the second-degree murder of Letisha Reimer, 13, and the aggravated assault of a 14-year-old girl (whose name is protected by a publication ban) on Nov. 1, 2016.
He was first declared unfit to stand trial in April 2018 by a B.C. Supreme Court justice, who heard evidence that Klein had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, was “intensely paranoid,” heard voices on a daily basis, suffered from “disorganized thinking” and was experiencing hallucinations.
The B.C. Review Board was then required to hold a hearing within 90 days to review the court decision.
That hearing was held in July 2018, at which time the board said it couldn’t make a decision and adjourned the matter to get a second opinion on Klein’s mental state.
The board again reviewed the matter in September, at which time it heard that Klein was continuing to hear voices and was having severe hallucinations.
In a decision a few days later, the B.C. Review Board determined Klein was still unfit to stand trial, and they scheduled the next hearing to take place today (Jan. 15).
If Klein is still found to be unfit to stand trial, he remains at the psychiatric hospital, and a hearing must be held at least once every two years to see if there have been any changes.
He could return for trial in the future, if these periodic assessments determine that his mental-health issues have improved.
It’s also possible that, at some point, he could be found permanently unfit, in which case the charges would be stayed.
At one point, the B.C. Review Board banned the publication of Letisha Reimer’s name, but that decision was reversed in December following an application by The Abbotsford News.
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More to come
BC Review Board appears to be in unanimous agreement that Gabriel Klein should be found fit to stand trial for the fatal stabbing of Letisha Reimer. Decision to be released later. #Abbotsford @BlackPressMedia @AbbyNews
— Vikki Hopes (@VikkiHopes) January 15, 2019