'Tragic circumstances': B.C. man who killed mother with axe not criminally responsible

A B.C. man who killed his mother with an axe while she was sleeping has been found not criminally responsible due to "a persistent and severe mental illness," according to a B.C. Supreme Court judgment posted online Tuesday.

Warning: This story includes details of a violent crime that readers may find disturbing.

A B.C. man who killed his mother with an axe while she was sleeping has been found not criminally responsible due to "a persistent and severe mental illness," according to a B.C. Supreme Court judgment posted online Tuesday.

In his opening remarks, Justice Geoffrey Gomery described "tragic circumstances" of the case.

Kevin Webster was charged with second-degree murder in the 2020 slaying of his mother Moirin. The evidence, the judge said, was enough to prove Kevin's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

What was before the court was whether or not Kevin's mental illness prevented him from "knowing that his act of killing his mother with an axe was wrong, that is, whether it rendered him incapable of rationally perceiving and choosing whether or not to kill her," the judge wrote.

In the years, months, and days leading up to the fatal attack, Kevin's schizophrenia caused him to experience extreme paranoia and psychosis – including delusions that he was "at risk at the hands of his family," according to the court documents.

The court also noted that Moirin had been Kevin's "strongest advocate," trying persistently and desperately to get him help.