Conor Frederick Grossmith, 24, will wait another week for lawyers to argue whether he is fit to stand trial for the murder of his mother.
Kate Gilchrist, 57, died last September as the result of being bludgeoned with a hammer, allegedly by her son.
With the results of a second psychiatric assessment in, Crown prosecutors and Grossmith’s lawyer, Joe Gordon, were set to argue first, whether he is fit to stand trial and second whether he can be found criminally responsible for his actions; but Gordon was unavailable for court, sending a proxy instead.
Standing in for Gordon, Michael Kennedy said he was unable to explain why Gordon is asking a provincial court judge to rule on whether Grossmith can be held criminally responsible before he has been deemed responsible for Gilchrist’s death, a move the judge was unsure the court has jurisdiction to execute.
The matter has been held over until next Friday, Jan. 25 at 11:30 a.m.
The doctor who has completed a second psychiatric assessment on Grossmith has said he is fit to stand trial even though he has been certified not criminally responsible for his actions by virtue of a mental disorder under the Canadian Mental Health Act. He is being held in a forensic psychiatric hospital and will remain in the facility until next Friday’s hearing.
