An Alberta man who killed his mother because he thought she was possessed by Satan is making good progress but still requires close monitoring, a review board has heard.
Alexander James Thorpe, who is 21, was arrested in January after he showed up at an Airdrie, Alta., car dealership naked except for a gold cross around his neck, covered in blood.
He told first responders that he was told by Jesus to kill Satan, who he said had taken over his mother’s body.
Thorpe pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in Melanie Lowen’s death and was found not criminally responsible last month.
Psychiatrist dr. Ken Chapman, who treated Thorpe with lithium for a form of bipolar disorder that can cause episodes of psychosis, says he has been in spontaneous remission since shortly after his arrest.
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‘No moral compass’: Judge finds man not criminally responsible in mother’s death
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‘No moral compass’: Judge finds man not criminally responsible in mother’s death
He says the treatment appears to be working and Thorpe is a model patient, but needs to be monitored over the next year to make sure it continues to control his bipolar disorder.
The Alberta Review Board reserved its decision on a treatment plan for Thorpe for the next year.
© 2022 The Canadian Press
