Severn man guilty of random, senseless murder deemed not criminally responsible
A Barrie judge who found Justice Snache guilty of murder has ruled he is not criminally responsible for the 2020 "random and senseless" stabbing death of a stranger left to die in the middle of an Orillia road.
Justice Cary Boswell made the ruling following a psychiatrist's testimony that Snache was dealing with schizophrenia, psychosis, and hearing voices in his head at the time of the murder.
Snache was 19 in November 2020 when he stabbed Derek Simmerson, who was walking home along Coldwater Road.
The 34-year-old was found with critical injuries and died in the hospital.
"Ultimately, he [Derek] didn't deserve any of this," said Simmerson's brother Devin. "His only crime was walking down the street."
The court heard that in the year leading up to the stabbing, Snache visited several hospitals seeking help but was released each time.
Justice Boswell agreed with the defence and Crown that Snache was battling a fluctuating and deteriorating delusional state with very few places to turn. "Mr. Snache needed help. He knew it. He sought it, but he did not get it," the judge noted.
"The medical people failed him, his parents failed him, where were they when he needed help? My son had to pay the price," said Derek Simmerson's mother, Lynda Malec.
Justice Boswell concluded Snache's mental disorder at the time of the fatal stabbing rendered him incapable of appreciating the nature and quality of his actions. The judge said his mental state made Snache unable to understand the wrongfulness of the voices in his head that told him to kill or be killed.
"Someone needed help. At least he's getting it, but unfortunately, it was at my son's expense," Malec added.
"This case is a sad example of what happens when our mental health system fails to follow up with people who are seeking mental health assistance, which Mr. Snache did over and over again," said Snache's defence lawyer Jay Herbert.
Snache, who has been in police custody since his arrest, will await a review of his case at the Waypoint Centre for Mental Healthcare.
The 22-year-old's fate, which includes whether he will ever be released into the community, is now in the hands of the Ontario Review Board.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6968186.1721272613!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
JD Vance introduces himself as Trump's running mate and makes direct appeal to his native Rust Belt
Introducing himself to the nation after being tapped as Donald Trump's running mate, JD Vance used his Wednesday night address to the Republican National Convention to share the story of his hardscrabble upbringing and make the case that his party best understands the challenges facing struggling Americans.
Two deaths in listeriosis outbreak linked to plant-based milk recall
Two people have died after an outbreak of listeriosis trigged a national recall of certain plant-based milks, the Public Health Agency of Canada said Wednesday.
Quebec filmmaker denied replacement hand after airplane propeller accident
The War Amps is speaking out after one of its members who lost most of his hand in an airplane propeller accident was denied coverage by Quebec for a mechanical hand.
Video shows B.C. grizzly basking in clawfoot tub
A donated clawfoot bathtub has become the preferred lounging spot for a pair of B.C. grizzly bears, who have been taking turns relaxing and reclining in it – with minimal sibling squabbling – for the past year.
John Deere ends support of 'social or cultural awareness' events, distances from inclusion efforts
Farm equipment maker John Deere says it will no longer sponsor 'social or cultural awareness' events, becoming the latest major U.S. company to distance itself from diversity and inclusion measures after being targeted by conservative backlash.
Rare photos reveal uncontacted tribe in Peruvian Amazon as loggers move in
Rare images of the Mashco Piro, an uncontacted Indigenous tribe in the remote Peruvian Amazon, were published on Tuesday by Survival International,
'I feel like he did not die in vain': Family responds to report on tortured B.C. boy's death
The heartbreak over the death of an Indigenous 11-year-old Fraser Valley boy, tortured and then ultimately killed by his foster parents, was felt by all who knew him.
Biden tests positive for COVID, will self-isolate in Delaware
U.S. President Joe Biden, under pressure from fellow Democrats to drop his re-election campaign, tested positive for COVID-19 while visiting Las Vegas on Wednesday and is self-isolating after experiencing mild symptoms, the White House said.
Day three of the RNC: Trump made an appearance, JD Vance addressed the crowd
The third day of the Republican National Convention was underway in Milwaukee on Wednesday evening, with speakers including Donald Trump's newly selected vice-presidential pick, JD Vance, as well as the former U.S. president's son, Donald Trump Jr.