Overview

• Defence lawyer Glen Orris argued in closing submissions that Blair Donnelly acted under overpowering religious delusions and believed the stabbings were sanctioned by God.
• The judge-alone trial continued Thursday with Donnelly pleading not guilty to three aggravated-assault counts, and Crown counsel Mark Myhre expected to deliver closing submissions.
• Donnelly testified he felt prompted by God to go to Chinatown, while surveillance evidence showed him buying a chisel, traveling to the festival area and stabbing three people on Sept. 10, 2023.
• Psychiatric evidence described longstanding mental illness, including schizophrenia and a more recent diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, marked by religious themes.
• The court heard he was on unescorted leave from the B.C. Forensic Psychiatric Hospital at the time and had previous NCR findings for a 2006 fatal stabbing and a 2017 attack.