Man who Beheaded passenger gets no guilty verdict ( Archived) (12)

WINNIPEG - The family of a man who was beheaded on a Greyhound bus says his killer is "getting away with murder," but the judge who found him not criminally responsible for the "barbaric" slaying says the law doesn't unnecessarily punish the mentally ill.

Scurfield's decision brings an end to a trial that lasted barely two days and only heard from the two psychiatrists.

That Li killed the carnival worker - brutally stabbing him dozens of times, beheading him and then mutilating his body - was never in question at the trial.

An agreed statement of facts read in court detailed how Li sat next to McLean when the young man gave him a smile and asked how he was doing. It was after McLean closed his eyes to listen to music on his headphones that Li thought he heard the voice of God.

"Suddenly the sunshine came in the bus and the voice said, 'Quick. Hurry up. Kill him and then you'll be safe,"' Li told one of his psychiatrists. "It was so quick, such an angry voice, and I had to do what it said. I was told that if I didn't listen to the voice, I would die immediately."

Li ignored other horrified passengers as he repeatedly stabbed the young man, who unsuccessfully fought for his life.

When the bus pulled over near Portage la Prairie, Man., Li was engrossed with stabbing and mutilating McLean's body. Passengers fled the bus and stood outside.

Li tried numerous times to leave the bus but was locked inside and continued methodically carving up McLean's body. Police said body parts were found throughout the bus in plastic bags, although part of his heart and both eyes were never found and were presumed to have been eaten by Li.

The victim's ear, nose and tongue were found in Li's pocket.

God told him to cut up McLean and scatter his body parts around the bus, Li said.

"God told me to do it. Otherwise it would come back to life very quick and kill me. So I cut it up to make sure he couldn't come back to life ... God told me to cut off his head, so I did."

Li tried to escape from the bus through a window and was taken into custody.

After that, with blood smeared on his face from the attack, he politely apologized to police and pleaded with officers to take his life.


©The Canadian Press, 2009

Do you believe that someone who is mentaly ill should still be responsible for killing another person.

Whether he was in his right frame of mind or not, he still did the act," she said. "There was nobody else on that bus holding a knife slicing up my child. Nobody else did that. Just one individual did that."

DeDelley said the law needs to be changed so someone can be found not psychologically accountable but still criminally responsible for a crime.

That was cold comfort to McLean's mother, Carol deDelley, who said Li may be mentally ill, but he still killed her 22-year-old son in the most brutal possible way.

"He is getting away with murder," said McLean's older sister, Vana Smart. "He'll never have a criminal record. After the review board decides that he can be medically managed in the community, he can get a job in a daycare. He can cross the border.

"He'll never have this stigma attached to him ... He will be able to pursue his life as he pleases."

This is what the report says, wonder who agrees or disagrees with it.

If Li was a mad dog you'd have the dog 'put down', wouldn't you............ you might feel sorry for the mad dog but it might go crazy and kill another sheep or a baby in a pram and you'd do the sensible thing.

What's the difference between being criminally insane and just being totally evil - maybe evil people have a choice while the really insane do not?

It's all very sad............ terrible things happen every day and when such insanity happens all one can do is protect the rest of society from a repeat performance.

The easiest solution is to destroy the problem - it is only in 'civilised' societies that we can maybe afford the luxury of 24/7 care for such an unhappy insane individual in the HOPE that he'll never had the opportunity to do the same or a similar thing again.

He was already found responsible for the killing. I think you meant to ask should he be found guilty for his crime instead of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Funny how people like the Law and Justice when it serves their purpose.

The Judge said he was insane and should not be in prison but in a mental institution.
To me, someone who commits something THAT insane IS insane!
Or do you think he has all of his mental faculties?
Do you actually think the guy is sane?
Do you?

First, my sympathy is with the family who lost their loves one.
They being hurt twice; once when that killer took their man’s live and the second time when he got away with murder.

I think no one should get away with murder. I am just wondering why he didn’t hurt him self like jumping from high bridge; he is insane, so he doesn't konwo if that is not right think to do. Or only he become insane when hurting other people.
And if he can arrive to that barbarian stage, why he wasn’t put in mental hospital in the first place. He been threat to the society and he did prove it.

How many people do the most despicable and hideous acts of killings then cry "INSANE"?

Their are so many crying this game who are actually "SANE"!