Ontario Review Board
Re: John Larter
ORB File No: 8649
Hearing held on: Friday, November 14, 2025
Place of Hearing: Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
Pursuant to: Section 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code
Before:
Alternate Chairperson: Mr. C. Flanagan
Members: Dr. S. Lessard
Dr. T. Stirpe
Ms. L. Silver
Ms. B. Naegele
Parties Appearing:
Accused: John Larter
Counsel: Mr. M. Schloss
Person in charge of hospital: Counsel: Ms. A. Marshall
Attorney-General of Ontario: Counsel: Ms. N. MacDonald
REASONS FOR DISPOSITION
(Dated December 15, 2025)
Introduction
On October 11, 2024, John Larter was found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (“NCR”) on a charge of second-degree murder contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada (Criminal Code).
Mr. Larter is currently subject to a Disposition of the Ontario Review Board ((“ORB” or “the Board”), dated November 26, 2024, by which he is ordered to be detained at the Secure Forensic Service of the Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (“Ontario Shores” or “the Hospital”) with privileges up to and including passes for up to 12 hours to enter the community, within a 150 kilometre radius of the Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, accompanied by staff or a person approved by the person in charge.
On November 14, 2025, a panel of the Board convened to review Mr. Larter’s Disposition in accordance with the requirements of s. 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code.
Mr. Larter and his counsel, Mr. Schloss, attended the hearing. Mr. Larter’s two sisters and mother also attended the hearing. A Hospital Report, dated October 22, 2025, was filed as Exhibit 1 at the hearing.
The issue to be determined is whether Mr. Larter continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public, as defined in section 672.5401 of the Criminal Code, and if so, the necessary and appropriate Disposition to manage that risk, having regard to the criteria set out in s. 672.54 of the Criminal Code.
Initial Position of the Parties
At the outset of the hearing, the parties were canvassed as to their recommendations to the Board.
Ms. Marshall, on behalf of the Hospital, recommended a continuation of the current Disposition with two changes. The first change is to amend clause 1 to read “detained at the Forensic Program of the Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (removing Secure Forensic Unit). The second change is the addition of a clause allowing indirectly supervised privileges in the community for up to 12 hours within a 150-kilometer radius of the hospital.
Ms. MacDonald, on behalf of the Attorney General of Ontario, advised she would like to hear evidence before taking a position.
Mr. Schloss, on behalf of Mr. Larter, agreed with the Hospital’s position and advised that significant threat would not be argued.
Index Offence
- The circumstances of the index offences are taken from last year’s Reasons for Disposition, dated December 12, 2024, as follows:
The circumstances giving rise to the Index Offence are derived from the agreed statement of facts outlined in the transcript of the Superior Court of Justice proceeding at the NCR hearing (Exhibit 4). On June 6, 2022, at 5:36 P.M., police were dispatched to a family dispute at a private residence in Ajax. The police were met by the complainant, [name of complainant] who is 80 years old, who said that her son, John Larter, was on drugs and was inside the residence with her husband [name of victim], age 83. John Larter had recently left rehabilitation. John locked her out of the home, and she could hear him banging her belongings inside. As the police approached the front door with her, it was opened by John Larter from the inside. He had blood on the back of his hands, and when asked where the blood was from, he replied, “my dad. I had to kill my dad.” Mr. Larter was arrested at gunpoint. Exhibit 4, at page 8, also indicates that the autopsy report of Dr. Kocovski noted that [victim’s name] cause of death was multiple stab wounds to the chest. There were also blunt-force injuries of the head, neck, torso, and extremities. Injuries of the head may have been otherwise fatal but for the fatal stab wounds to the chest.
Personal Background/Psychiatric History
Mr. Larter’s personal background and psychiatric history are detailed in the Hospital Report, filed as an exhibit at the hearing, and need not be repeated here.
Briefly, Mr. Larter is a 43-year-old man born in Toronto. He graduated from high school and attended Durham College where he studied Human Resources but was expelled. He attended one year of college courses in business administration but left the program before completion.
Mr. Larter began using cannabis at the age of 17. He worked at various jobs including Costco and Home Depot. He reported a pattern of difficulties with punctuality and truancy at work. He frequently attended work high on cannabis and at times, used cannabis while at work.
Selling drugs became his primary source of income after being fired from Home Depot at the age of 21. He primarily sold cannabis, but also cocaine, crack cocaine, and ecstasy. Mr. Larter also used Percocet on a regular basis.
In 2012, Mr. Larter bought a house which he later sold in 2019 for a substantial profit. He bought a second property to “flip it,” though did not see any profit on this transaction. He moved into a rented condominium but was evicted due to erratic behaviour. He subsequently stayed in a hotel from October 2021 to February 2022 and then moved back with his parents.
Mr. Larter also had multiple contacts with Toronto and Durham Police Services which are documented in the Hospital Report. In 2021, Mr. Larter was convicted of possession of a weapon resulting from threatening his neighbour with a knife. He received a conditional discharge and 12 months’ probation.
In the months leading up to the index offence, Mr. Larter’s mother had occasion to contact the police regarding her son. On February 14, 2022, his mother reported that her son had been aggressive to her and his father and had grabbed his father’s collar and held his mother. He was flipping over furniture and stayed up all night using cannabis. He was apprehended under the MHA and transported to a local hospital, where he was diagnosed with substance use disorder and referred to the crisis team. On February 28, 2022, Mrs. Larter asked for her son to be removed, stated she was afraid of him, and he was using cannabis. On April 23, 2022, Mrs. Larter called police asking for her son to be removed. On May 31, 2022, Mrs. Larter again called 911 to have her son removed from her home when he refused to attend rehab.
On June 6, 2022, Mr. Larter was arrested for the index offence of second-degree murder following the stabbing of his father at the family home. On October 11, 2024, Mr. Larter was found NCR by the court and subsequently transferred to Ontario Shores under the jurisdiction of the Ontario Review Board. He is financially supported by the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and remains capable of consenting to treatment.
Current Diagnosis
- Mr. Larter’s diagnoses include schizophrenia and polysubstance use disorder, in remission in a controlled environment.
Evidence at the Hearing
The Hospital’s evidence was presented through the oral evidence of Dr. C. Harrigan to supplement the Hospital Report, filed as an exhibit at the hearing.
Dr. Harrigan has been Mr. Larter’s treating psychiatrist since December 2024. On October 15, 2024, he was transferred from the secure Forensic Assessment Unit (FAU) to the secure Forensic Assessment and Rehabilitation Unit (FARU), where he remained at the date of the hearing.
Dr. Harrigan advised that Mr. Larter had a successful reporting year. There have been no incidents of violence or signs of aggression and he has not been observed responding to internal stimuli. He continues to endorse some residual delusions with paranoia related to the index offence, but they do not disrupt his functioning.
Mr. Larter has remained compliant with his medication regimen. He recently agreed to switch his oral antipsychotic medication to long-acting injectable. Dr. Harrigan advised that there is still room to increase the injection once Mr. Larter is properly assessed.
Dr. Harrigan was asked about Mr. Larter’s insight. She advised that Mr. Larter’s insight into his illness and symptoms is developing. He sees the benefit of taking medication and has not been resistant to his medication regimen. His insight into the index offence remains poor. He maintains he was justified in committing the index offence based on sexual abuse. When asked, Dr. Harrigan confirmed that this belief in sexual abuse is based on a delusion.
Mr. Larter’s insight into substance use is poor and he does not believe such use negatively impacts his risk. In this regard, Dr. Harrigan advised that Mr. Larter is externally motivated by his ORB Disposition to remain abstinent from substance use. As stated in the Hospital Report on page 18:
“When asked whether he believed that his prior use of substances had been problematic for him or had negatively impacted his mental status in any way, Mr. Larter replied “No, because when I use substances, I feel medicated, so I don’t feel like doing anything violent, I just feel calm and at peace. When asked if this meant that he planned on using substances in the future, he stated “Maybe once this (being under the ORB) is all over, I might go back to weed, but I don’t think I’ll go back to Percocet’s though…I’ve been on weed my whole life, since my teenage years, like age 17”. Mr. Larter confirmed that he was externally motivated to remain abstinent from substances in order to eventually receive an Absolute Discharge.”
Mr. Larter was granted indirectly supervised hospital grounds privileges in June 2025 for 30 minutes twice a day, which he has used responsibly. Throughout the reporting year, all his urine drug screens have been negative. Dr. Harrigan stated that there has been no evidence that Mr. Larter has used or attempted to bring substances into hospital.
She advised that Mr. Larter is engaged in individual concurrent disorders and cognitive behavioral therapy with meaningful participation. He has completed several Empowerment, Personalization, Evidence-based, and Community (EPEC) programs, which focus on recovery and rehabilitation.
Dr. Harrigan advised that Mr. Larter is now in a good position to be transferred to a general forensic unit. From a risk management point of view, she highlighted his significant history of substance use and emphasized that the treatment team will move cautiously, monitoring Mr. Larter very closely, with a very gradual increase in privileges.
Mr. Larter has strong family support. His mother and two sisters, who attended the hearing, are Approved Persons, and visit him regularly. Mr. Larter has expressed an interest in volunteer work or employment.
When asked about the potential for community living, Dr. Harrigan stated that the focus at this time is on Mr. Larter’s transition from a Secure Forensic Unit to a General Forensic Unit, should the Board agree to the Hospital’s request. The doctor also supported the proposed additional privilege of indirectly supervised privileges in the community for up to 12 hours within a 150-kilometer radius of the hospital. She highlighted that the treatment team can better assess Mr. Larter’s risk for community placement, while monitoring his exercise of indirectly supervised privileges in the community. Dr. Harrigan reiterated that the treatment team would need to move slowly in a stepwise fashion, and if the year goes very well, the treatment team may be in a position to explore community housing options.
The doctor adopted the potential reoffence scenario outlined at page 23 of the Hospital Report which stated in part:
“In the context of a move to a General unit, a possible re-offence scenario would likely involve Mr. Larter’s relapse to substance use, particularly cannabis. If he were to use cannabis, he may experience an increase in delusions or auditory hallucinations, which could evolve to include members of his environment (e.g., staff or patients on his unit).”
Dr. Harrigan advised that Mr. Larter was a significant threat to the safety of the public. When asked, she agreed that Mr. Larter’s future risk of violence falls within the Low-Moderate range in the context of a move from a Secure Forensic Unit to a General Forensic Unit.
The doctor stated that a Conditional Discharge would not be appropriate at this juncture. Given the seriousness of the relatively recent index offence, his ongoing, residual symptoms, and substance use risk, the hospital would need to approve his housing with appropriate support and supervision and have the ability to return him to hospital quickly should he decompensate.
No further evidence was presented at the hearing.
Final Submissions of the Parties
Ms. Marshall, on behalf of the Hospital, maintained her initial position and relied on the joint position of the parties. She submitted that Mr. Larter had a good year, has been compliant with his medication regimen, has participated in several programs, and has not used substances. She submitted that the Hospital was hopeful this positive trajectory will continue in the next year.
After hearing the evidence, Ms. MacDonald, on behalf of the Attorney General of Ontario, supported the Hospital’s position. She submitted that Mr. Larter is now on injectable medication that can be monitored, and he appears externally motivated by his Disposition to abstain from substances. She submitted that, should Mr. Larter move to a General Forensic Unit, the Hospital has agreed to proceed with his privileges cautiously, given the serious index offence and risk of returning to substance use.
Mr. Schloss, on behalf of Mr. Larter, maintained his initial position. He submitted that Mr. Larter had a very successful year and since June 2025, has exercised his privileges to the maximum without issue. He submitted that moving Mr. Larter to a General Forensic Unit will allow the treatment team an opportunity to further assess his risk as he works toward community living.
Conclusion and Disposition
- Having considered all the evidence presented at the hearing, this Board finds that Mr. Larter continues to pose a significant threat to the safety of the public as set out in s. 672.5401 of the Criminal Code. We make these findings based on the evidence of Dr. Harrigan and the evidence contained in the Hospital Report filed as an exhibit at the hearing, notwithstanding the joint position of the parties.
(a) Significant Threat to the Safety of the Public
- Mr. Larter’s index offence involves the stabbing to death of his father in the family home. It was in the context of experiencing delusions and concurrent use of substances. Mr. Larter has been under the jurisdiction of the Ontario Review Board since the fall of 2024, continues to have residual psychotic symptoms, and his insight into these symptoms remains underdeveloped. He has a long history of substance use and currently does not perceive substance use to negatively affect him or impact his level of risk. Considering the seriousness of the relatively recent index offence together with the ongoing risk factors adopted by Dr. Harrigan and outlined in the Hospital Report, this Board is unanimous that Mr. Larter remains a significant threat to the safety of the public.
(b) The level of Detention in Hospital
The Hospital has requested that Mr. Larter’s level of detention in hospital be changed to the Forensic Program of the Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, allowing the potential for Mr. Larter to be transferred to a General Forensic Unit, and removing the requirement that he remain in a Secure Forensic Unit. Both the Crown and Mr. Larter, through his counsel, supported this request.
Mr. Larter has a good relationship with Dr. Harrigan and the treatment team. Over the reporting year, there have been no incidents of violence or signs of aggression, and Mr. Larter has not been observed responding to internal stimuli. Although he continues to endorse some residual delusions with paranoia related to the index offence, they do not seem to disrupt his functioning. He maximized his limited privileges on the Secure Unit without incident or issue.
Further, Mr. Larter remains consistently compliant with his medication regimen. His recent agreement to switch to long-acting medication will assist and alleviate any potential compliance concerns. He has successfully completed a number of programs and continues to be engaged in individual therapy.
Although his risk of violence falls within the Low-Moderate range in the context of a move from a Secure Forensic Unit to a General Forensic Unit, Dr. Harrigan has advised that a cautious stepwise approach will be taken, if and when Mr. Larter is able to be transferred to a General Forensic Unit. Given all the above, this Board agrees that Mr. Larter’s Disposition can be changed to permit, should circumstances dictate, a transfer to a General Forensic Unit.
(c) Indirectly supervised passes into the community
All three parties support the addition of a clause in the Disposition permitting Mr. Larter indirectly supervised community passes for up to 12 hours within a 150-kilometer radius of the hospital. In this regard, Mr. Larter has expressed an interest in obtaining some form of employment. Dr. Harrigan agreed that such a privilege would allow extended visits to visit his family.
This Board notes that Mr. Larter has a significant history of substance use, which remains a significant risk factor relating to a decline in his mental state and/or violent behaviour. To his credit, however, Mr. Larter has exercised his time-limited indirectly supervised privileges to hospital grounds without any evidence of him attempting to use or bring substances back into hospital. Further, all urine drug screens have all been negative over the reporting year.
Although Mr. Larter does not currently recognize the link between substance use and risk of mental deterioration and/or violent behaviour, he remains motivated (albeit externally while under the Board’s jurisdiction) to abstain from substance use. Mr. Larter also enjoys the strong support of his mother and two sisters, who attended the hearing and are familiar with the substance issue. Notably, this Board accepts Dr. Harrigan’s evidence that, if this condition is added, the treatment team will proceed with caution. Consequently, this Board agrees with the addition of the proposed condition in Mr. Larter’s Disposition.
(d) Appropriate and Necessary Disposition
- Consequently, this Board finds that the most necessary and appropriate Disposition is the continuation of the existing Detention Disposition with the following two changes:
the accused shall be detained at the Forensic Program of the Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, and
a clause shall be added permitting indirectly supervised passes for up to 12 hours to enter the community, within a 150-kilometre radius of Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences.
- In reaching our decision, this Board has considered the safety of the public, Mr. Larter’s mental condition, his reintegration into society, and his other needs.
DATED this 15^th^ day of December 2025 at the City of Toronto, in the Toronto Region.
Mr. C. Flanagan
Alternate Chairperson
_____________________________
Office of the Registrar Ontario Review Board