The man accused of driving a Laval city bus into a day care center, killing two children and injuring six others must undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine if he is fit for his criminal trial.
A judge ordered his mental health assessment Friday morning at the Laval courthouse, at the request of his attorney.
The latter, Me Julien Lespérance Hudon, told Quebec Court Judge Carol Richer that Pierre Ny St-Amand’s attitude changes from day to day and that he is sometimes unable to speak to him. He reported that a psychiatrist from the Philippe Pinel Institute also met him and expressed doubts about his mental fitness.
“This morning I am unable to contact him to get any answers from him and I have heard from the guards that he has been like this since this morning,” Me Lespérance Hudon said.
The defendant, who was present in the courtroom, did not say a word during his brief appearance.
As for Crown prosecutor Me Karine Dalphond, she did not disagree with defense counsel’s request.
The 51-year-old man is accused of killing two children, Maëva David and Jacob Gauthier, and injuring six others by crashing the bus he was riding into a day care center in the Sainte-Rose neighborhood of Laval, causing consternation.
The father of two was arrested at the scene and brought to court the same day. He faces nine counts, including two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder and six counts of assault.
The drama raised many questions, with many wondering what could have happened. Witnesses to the scene, who met Le Devoir, had stated that Mr St-Amand was aggressive and very agitated after being overpowered by citizens and that he had even stripped, raising questions about his mental state. When he first appeared in court on February 8, via video conference call from his hospital room, he was completely silent and did not answer any questions from the judge or his attorney. A police officer who accompanied him even reported to the judge that he had hit him. However, according to Lionel Carmant, the minister in charge of social services, he does not appear to have sought mental health help from the local public services. The latter could not clarify the situation for private consulting services.
Many citizens and elected officials, such as Prime Minister François Legault, gathered in front of the day care center the day after the tragedy.
The evaluation is carried out at the National Institute of Forensic Psychiatry Philippe-Pinel. In the meantime, the accused remains in custody and will have to go back to court on February 24 when the assessment report is due to be presented to the judge.