Ontario Review Board
Re: Trenton Richardson
ORB File No: 7960
Hearing held on: April 14, 2025
Place of hearing: Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
Pursuant to: Section 671.81(1) of the Criminal Code
Before:
Alternate Chairperson: Mr. P. Capelle
Members: Dr. H. Bloom Dr. C. Rose Mr. J. Goldenberg Mr. A. Bouvier
Parties Appearing:
Accused: Trenton Richardson Counsel: Mr. K. Matthews
The Person in charge of Hospital: Representative: Ms. M. Davidson
Attorney General of Ontario: Counsel: Mr. T. Jukes
REASONS FOR DISPOSITION
(Dated: April 14, 2025)
Introduction:
On October 20, 2021, Trenton Richardson was found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder on charges of aggravated assault (x2) and failure to comply with a probation order.
Mr. Richardson is currently subject to a Disposition of the Ontario Review Board dated May 2, 2024, by which he was ordered to be detained at the Secure Forensic Unit at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC.) with privileges up to living in the community in approved accommodation and with a number of prohibitions including a prohibition requiring absolute abstention from the non-medical use of alcohol, drugs, or any other intoxicant.
On Monday, April 14, 2025, the Ontario Review Board convened a hearing at TBRHSC and conducted the annual review of Mr. Richardson’s disposition.
Position of the Parties:
At the outset of the hearing, the parties were canvassed as to their recommendation to the Board.
Ms. Davidson appeared for TBRHSC. She advised of the hospital position that Mr. Richardson remains a significant threat to public safety, and if the Board so finds, the necessary and appropriate disposition is a continuation of a Detention Order with the exact terms set out in last year’s disposition.
Mr. Jukes appeared for the Attorney General. He supported the hospital’s recommendation.
Mr. Richardson was represented by Mr. Matthews. Mr. Matthews advised that at this hearing, he and his client support the hospital’s recommendation. Mr. Matthews went on to say that it was “a close call” but both he and his client support the continuation of a Detention Order.
Index Offence:
- The facts of the index offences are set out in last year’s reasons for disposition as follows:
“On March 13, 2021, at shortly after 5 a.m., Ronald Pumphrey (67 years old) and
Ernestine Pumphrey (also known as Ernestine Doiro, 68 years old), were asleep in
their motel room 505 at the Midtown Inn, located 61 Cumberland Street North,
Thunder Bay, ON.
Ronald Pumphrey was awakened by loud noises in the motel hallway and a banging
on the door to his room.
Ronald Pumphrey exited his room, into the hallway where he saw Trenton
Richardson (age 29), who was completely naked. Trenton Richardson was
previously unknown to Ronald Pumphrey.
Trenton Richardson rushed at Ronald Pumphrey and attacked him in the hallway,
repeatedly striking him in his face and head with closed fists. When Ronald
Pumphrey was knocked to the ground by the blows, Trenton Richardson continued
to punch and kicked him in the face and head while he was on the floor.
Ernestine Pumphrey heard the sound of her husband getting beaten in the hallway
and started towards the door to go check on her husband. At this point, Trenton
Richardson pushed open the door to her room, barging in and knocking her to the
floor.
Trenton Richardson then got on top of Ernestine Pumphrey and repeatedly struck
her in her face and head area with his closed fists. She estimates that he punched
her at least 8 times. Trenton Richardson was previously unknown to Ernestine
Pumphrey.
Trenton Richardson then left the room and went back into the hallway where he
again began to attack Ronald Pumphrey by punching him repeatedly in the face and
head. Finally, Ronald Pumphrey was able to get away and he managed to re-enter
his own room. Trenton Richardson left the immediate area, but stayed in the motel.
An employee at the motel had heard a commotion and called 911. Ronald Pumphrey
also called 911 once he managed to get back into his room.
Police officers arrived on the scene shortly thereafter and saw Trenton Richardson
in the lobby area of the motel. Trenton Richardson was pacing back and forth in a
seemingly distraught fashion and was also at times both mumbling and shouting.
Police noticed that Trenton Richardson had skinned knuckles and blood on his
hands and he was detained in custody at that time.
Police attended to room 505 where they found Ronald and Ernestine Pumphrey. At
that time, police noted that Ronald Pumphrey had sustained serious head injuries
as a result of the assault on him by Trenton Richardson. His face was covered in
blood. He had a completely swollen shut eye and blood was coming out of his other
eye (left) area. He also had several teeth knocked out, but the exact number was not
able to be ascertained at that time due to the swelling to his mouth and head. Ronald
Pumphrey indicated that he had lost consciousness during the assault but came to
at some point and was able to re-enter his room and call 911.
At the scene, Ernestine Pumphrey was noted by police to have also sustained serious
head injuries as a result of the assault on her by Trenton Richardson. It was noted
by police that her face was covered in blood and it was dripping from her chin. Her
left eye swollen shut, and it was purple. She was unsteady on her feet and very upset.
Police assisted her in practicing deep breathing until paramedics arrived. Ernestine
Pumphrey stated that she had not lost consciousness during the assault, but felt that
she had been very close to doing so.
There was blood and blood spatter in room 505 and in the hallway.
Paramedics arrived and both Ronald and Ernestine Pumphrey were taken to
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre by ambulance.
Further investigations revealed that Trenton Richardson had been staying in Room
508 at the motel for a number of months.
Police reviewed the motel surveillance video which captured Trenton Richardson’s
assault on Ronald Pumphrey as noted above, and also showed Trenton Richardson
forcing his way into room 505, emerging minutes later and then assaulting Ronald
Pumphrey again. Police noted that, prior to the assaults, Trenton Richardson had
exited his own room completely naked and started pacing back and forth in the
hallway before he began banging on the doors of several room while shouting.
The injuries to Ronald Pumphrey were serious and long-lasting. The attack resulted
in him spending the night in Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre with a
very damaged left eye. He left the next day for surgery in Winnipeg to repair a
damaged pupil. Future surgery will be required at a later date to repair the lens,
which had also been damaged. To date, vision in Ronald Pumphrey’s left eye has
not been restored. There have been ongoing infections and other complications. He
lost many teeth as well.
The injuries sustained by Ernestine Pumphrey were also serious and long-lasting.
She suffered 2 bones broken in her left jaw which required surgery to insert steel
plates. The whole left side of her face and gums was numb - some of the numbness
still remains. She could not sleep on her left side for months.
At the time of these assaults, Trenton Richard was on a probation order requiring
him to keep the peace and be of good behaviour. He was placed on the order by
Justice Peter Joubert of the Ontario Court of Justice in Kenora after being convicted
of manslaughter on January 23, 2019. The duration of the probation order was 3
years, following a period of 2 years less a day incarceration.”
Evidence at the Hearing:
- The Board admitted into evidence the Hospital Report dated April 1, 2025. The Hospital Report provides a great deal of information concerning Mr. Richardson’s personal history, his mental health history, details of the index offence, details of prior criminal convictions, and Mr. Richardson’s course in the hospital and in the community subsequent to the date of the N.C.R. finding. As the Hospital Report was made an exhibit in this hearing, it is not necessary to reproduce the information contained in the Hospital Report in these reasons. We do note, however, the stated diagnoses of:
Schizoaffective Disorder
Substance Use Disorder – Cannabis (Past History)
In addition to the documentary evidence, the Board heard from Dr. Sheppard. Dr. Sheppard was asked for any updates. He indicated that generally, Mr. Richardson has done well over this past 12 months. He has continued to live in the community. He originally was living at Andras Court but moved from that facility to a facility operated by Habitat. In the Habitat facility, there are staff onsite during the day five days a week. Mr. Richardson has much more independence living at Habitat. The Board understands that Mr. Richardson resided at Andras from March 2024 to January 2025, at which time he moved to Habitat.
Dr. Sheppard noted that his patient prefers living on his own. The doctor sees Mr. Richardson once per month and the hospital case manager sees Mr. Richardson weekly. Mr. Richardson is also attending at the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) clubhouse.
Dr. Sheppard noted that Mr. Richardson had been doing some part-time work at TeamWerks, but unfortunately, that program is coming to a close.
Dr. Sheppard also noted that Mr. Richardson is interested in going back to school.
Dr. Sheppard noted that Mr. Richardson had been treated with depot medication. Mr. Richardson decided to go off depot medication by reason of side effects. Mr. Richardson, after a number of months, made the decision to go back to the depot medication as he felt that medication was more beneficial.
Dr. Sheppard noted one concerning issue over the past 12 months. On two occasions, Mr. Richardson used cannabis. Mr. Richardson disclosed his use of cannabis to members of the clinical team. The panel understands that his use of cannabis did not show up with respect to any samples that had been collected by the hospital. Dr. Sheppard found it positive that Mr. Richardson disclosed his use of cannabis but was concerned that he used cannabis at all. Dr. Sheppard noted that on the occasions Mr. Richardson used cannabis, there was no change in his mental stability.
Dr. Sheppard is of the opinion that a Detention Order remains both necessary and appropriate. He reaches that conclusion based upon Mr. Richardson’s entire history, which the doctor described as “troubling.”. Dr. Sheppard also advised that a Detention Order is necessary as the hospital needs the ability to approve any future accommodation. The doctor put it that a Conditional Discharge at this time is simply premature.
In response to questions from Mr. Jukes, Dr. Sheppard stated that there was no indication that Mr. Richardson had used any other substances over the past 12 months. Dr. Sheppard repeated that since his move to Habitat, Mr. Richardson seems to be doing very well.
Mr. Matthews asked the doctor about his client’s level of insight. Dr. Sheppard noted that on some occasions Mr. Richardson’s insight seemed very good, but on other occasions, Mr. Richardson’s insight is “not so great.”
In response to a question from a panel member, Dr. Sheppard noted that he only found out this morning about Mr. Richardson’s second use of cannabis.
In response to a question from another panel member, Dr. Sheppard advised that Mr. Richardson stated he had no cravings that led to the use of cannabis.
In response to questions from another panel member, Dr. Sheppard noted that his patient takes his medication completely on his own.
No other evidence was called on behalf of the hospital.
The Crown did not call evidence.
Mr. Matthews simply stated that his client was prepared to answer any questions should the Board have same. None of the Board members had questions for Mr. Richardson. At that point in time, Mr. Richardson indicated that he would like to say one or two things to the panel. Mr. Richardson stated that it was his idea to go back to the injectable medication. Mr. Richardson stated that as long as he is under the Ontario Review Board, he will consent to give blood samples to the clinical team so as to demonstrate his ongoing compliance with his medication.
Mr. Richardson noted that his use of cannabis on one occasion was to celebrate the fact that “I met a girl.”
At some point during this hearing, a member of the panel noted a reference in last year’s reasons to artwork done by Mr. Richardson. Mr. Richardson acknowledged that and in fact showed the panel two works of art he had brought with him to the hearing and indicated that the second work of art emphasized his improved skill in this area.
Final Submissions
- All parties maintained their original position.
Findings of the Board
The Board accepts the evidence of Dr. Sheppard and the evidence contained in the Hospital Report. We accept that Mr. Richardson remains a significant threat to public safety and we accept further that a Detention Order is both necessary and appropriate. We also conclude that Mr. Richardson’s evidence to the panel demonstrated an appropriate level of insight and his commitment to follow the Board’s disposition, notwithstanding the two incidents this past year.
We have no hesitation in continuing with the Detention Order on the exact terms set out in last year’s disposition. We do hope that Mr. Richardson will continue his work with art and painting.
In reaching our Disposition, the Board has taken into consideration the safety of the public, Mr. Richardson’s mental condition, his other needs, and his potential reintegration into society
DATED this Day day of Month, Year , at the City of Toronto, in the Toronto Region.
[Joel Goldenberg
Alternate Chairperson/Legal Member
“signature”
____________________________
Office of the Registrar
Ontario Review Board
Formatting:
Margins 1”x 1” x 1” x 1”
Font Times New Roman 12pt
Header A Every page, suppress on page 1
No underlining
In heading and in headers: first name(s) for accused only, otherwise initials
Panel members are shown as follows:
Alternate Chairperson
Psychiatrist
Psychologist
Legal Member
Public