A Toronto man who stabbed his mother to death nearly a dozen years ago because “he thought she was a zombie” has been granted an absolute discharge by the Ontario Review Board.
Neil Williams, 55, was charged with second-degree murder for his mom’s Nov. 5, 2013, death. But he was found not criminally responsible in the fall of 2014 on account of a mental disorder. Since the end of 2023, Williams has been living on his own, reporting regularly to a psychiatrist at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).
“The board finds that Mr. Williams no longer meets the threshold of posing a significant threat to the safety of the public and accordingly, he must be absolutely discharged,” according to a recent decision from the five-member panel.
At about 3:17 p.m. on Nov. 25, 2013, Williams called 9-1-1 from a home on Ronan Avenue near Mount Pleasant Road and Lawrence Avenue.
“He told the 9-1-1 dispatcher that he had stabbed his mother in the chest because he ‘thought she was a zombie,’” said the decision.
Police arrived at the scene quickly.
“Neil Williams was found by his mother’s side attempting to perform CPR,” said the decision. “Janet Williams was pronounced dead at the hospital.”
Williams told investigators he “was at home with his mother and father that morning,” said the decision.
“He was feeling unwell and vomited. He was unable to take his medication for his bipolar disorder because he was feeling sick. He started to get paranoid thoughts. It felt as though someone was after him.”
That feeling “went away but returned after his father had left for work,” said the decision. “He then got strange thoughts and paranoia about his mother. He remembered getting a knife. His memory got blurry after he got the knife. He vaguely remembered stabbing his mother. After he stabbed his mother the paranoid feelings went away and he felt dread.”
Before his mother’s death, Williams was living with his parents in a Toronto home, said the decision. “He was unemployed and financially supported by them.”
His mom was trained as a lawyer, but she stopped working after Williams was born and returned to employment when he was in his early 20s. “Mr. Williams describes having had a positive relationship with his mother.”
Williams “was a successful student and he completed high school and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree,” said the decision, dated May 6.
“During his studies he experienced depression and attempted suicide. Throughout this period, his parents were extremely supportive, and Mr. Williams remained connected to his mother throughout university.”
Williams earned a Master’s degree and started working toward a PhD. “However, this was not successful as he felt isolated in the program. In the fall of 2012, he left the PhD program and planned to work in the business field, assuming that he would eventually take a position in his father’s investment business.”
His first psychiatric referral came in the fall of 2006, “after his suicide attempt.”
The next spring he “was admitted to hospital and was described as having paranoid ideation.”
He got outpatient psychiatric care until 2013.
“During this time, no psychotic symptoms were observed and Mr. Williams was described as suffering from bipolar affective disorder, with good insight into his illness and medication compliance.”
Williams was detained at CAMH after he was found not criminally responsible for his mother’s death.
He was transferred to a secure forensic unit in January 2015 and then a general forensic unit six months later.
But he was moved back to a secure unit Nov. 20, 2015, “following an act of psychosis-motivated aggression,” said the decision. “Mr. Williams had armed himself with a knife and lunged aggressively at (a) staff member during a cooking class.”
A Code White was called, indicating an emergency response to a violent or aggressive situation. “Mr. Williams exited the kitchen with the cleaver in his hand and accessed the hospital grounds before he was disarmed and returned to the unit.”
It was another three and a half years before Williams was discharged from the hospital to “a 24-hour high support transitional housing program located near the CAMH hospital grounds.”
Decisions about the detention of not-criminally-responsible offenders are generally made annually by a review board panel at the hospital.
Williams got a conditional discharge Dec. 13, 2021, that required him “to report not less than once per week” to his caregivers at CAMH.
He kept living in transitional housing until May of 2023, “when he moved to an independent apartment in the Yorkville area of Toronto where he lives today.”
Williams “is currently diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia,” said the decision.
Dr. Robert McMaster, his out-patient psychiatrist since June 2019, “stated that Mr. Williams has had an ‘excellent’ year in review.”
Williams “has successfully maintained his independent apartment, has remained compliant with his oral antipsychotic medication, Clozapine, which he administers independently, he has abstained from substance and alcohol use, he has not engaged in any incidents of violence, has maintained a significant volunteer position in the community,” McMaster testified.
He’s “also engaged in pro-social activities, has not posed as a management concern and not required any hospital readmissions,” according to the forensic psychiatrist. “He is responsive and cooperative with the treatment team in all interactions.”
Williams “consistently denies any violent or suicidal ideation and Dr. McMaster testified that that there has been no evidence that he experiences delusions, hallucinations, or any paranoia for many years since the introduction of Clozapine.”
The symptoms of Williams’ “major mental illness appear to be in full remission and his mental state has remained stable over the past reporting year,” according to McMaster.
Williams “clearly acknowledges that he suffers from schizophrenia and that he would be likely to relapse if he were to stop taking his medication,” said the doctor, noting his patient “consistently states that he would be agreeable to returning to hospital if there was a change to his mental state and that his father would take him to CAMH’s emergency department if he noticed a change in his presentation.”
McMaster “testified that Mr. Williams’ risk of relapse is extremely low,” said the decision. “The doctor described that likelihood of relapse as ‘almost “miniscule.’”
Williams manages “his own finances, meals and transportation,” said the decision, which notes he regularly attends church and has developed “some social friendships” as a result.
Williams “volunteers at IBK Capital, his father’s workplace, on a near full-time basis. He assists in analyzing mining companies and he recently attended a mining conference which he enjoyed.”
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