Fredericton shooter Matthew Raymond granted supervised visits in Campbellton for treatment

Matthew Raymond, who shot and killed four people in Fredericton in August 2018, will be allowed supervised visits for treatment outside the Restigouche Hospital Centre.

Matthew Raymond, who shot and killed four people in August 2018 in Fredericton, has been granted accompanied privileges in Campbellton for treatment with a staff member from the Restigouche Hospital Centre (RHC) by the New Brunswick Parole Board.

Raymond was found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder in November 2020 in the deaths of two Fredericton police officers, constables Robb Costello and Sara Burns, as well as Bobbi-Lee Wright and Donnie Robichaud.

This is Raymond’s third attempt to seek supervised visits in the community of Campbellton, with the third including meeting his mother within the town and outings like going to bowling alleys where the space would be rented out so the public couldn’t interact with the patients.

The Parole Board said Raymond must remain detained at the RHC, but the board doesn’t have a punitive mandate toward the accused.

“That is why he is detained: to be treated,” the decision reads. “And for the treatment team to go forward with treatment, they need to increase privileges at different levels to assess the results.”

The board still believes Raymond “poses a significant threat to the safety of the public,” but “that privileges may be granted for the purposes of treatment.”

In 2021 and 2022, Raymond was denied supervised outings, with the Parole Board saying he was “still a significant threat to the safety of the public.”

In their decision, dated April 6, 2023, the parole board said it was not unreasonable the public could be safe if the accused is escorted by a staff member from the hospital for treatment purposes.