The accused shot and killed a woman sleeping in his apartment while suffering from a paranoid delusion that she was part of a conspiracy to kill him.
At trial, he raised the defence of insanity under s. 16(1) of the Criminal Code.
The trial judge convicted him of second degree murder, finding that while he subjectively believed his act was justified, he retained the general capacity to know right from wrong.
The Court of Appeal ordered a new trial.
The Supreme Court of Canada dismissed the Crown's appeal, holding that s. 16(1) exempts an accused from criminal responsibility if a mental disorder deprives them of the capacity to rationally apply their knowledge of right and wrong to the specific act committed.
