Overview
- Jongwon Ham, charged with first-degree murder, was found not fit to stand trial in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.
- B.C. Justice Michael Tammen said Ham’s psychosis has worsened and that delusions block rational choices about the court process.
- Two psychiatrists testified that Ham has a psychotic disorder and both concluded he cannot participate in his defence.
- An unfit finding pauses the trial and shifts the case to treatment and review board oversight until fitness can be restored, which differs from a ruling on criminal responsibility.
- Const. Shaelyn Yang, an RCMP mental-health and outreach worker, was fatally stabbed on Oct. 18, 2022, during an encounter in Burnaby’s Broadview Park, and the police watchdog says the man in the tent was shot and wounded during the struggle.