Suspect in decapitation murder ruled unfit to continue trial

FREDERICTON, New Brunswick – Gregory Allan Despres has been declared unfit to continue standing trial for the horrific killings of an elderly New Brunswick couple, ending one of the most sensational murder trials in the province’s history.

Justice Judy Clendening of Court of Queen’s Bench said Friday that Despres has such a severe psychiatric disorder, he is unable to fully understand court procedures and engage in his defense.

She ordered him remanded to the Shepody Healing Centre, a psychiatric facility at Dorchester Penitentiary in southern New Brunswick. He will be held indefinitely until he is deemed fit to stand trial – something that could happen within weeks, months, years or perhaps never.

“This trial is over,” said Ed Derrah, lawyer for Despres. “A new trial will start at such time as he is found fit to stand trial.

“I think justice was done. It’s a hallmark of our system that people who are unable to understand court processes, or relate to the facts of the offense so as to prepare a defense, should not be forced to stand trial,” Derrah said.

There was a loud gasp of disappointment from the victims’ relatives as the judge read her decision.

Despres is accused of killing 74-year-old Fred Fulton and his 70-year-old wife, Verna Decarie, at their home in Minto, New Brunswick, on April 25, 2005.

Both were repeatedly stabbed and Fulton was decapitated. His severed head was found later in a pillowcase under the kitchen table.

Distraught relatives of the victims yelled insults at the slightly built, wild-eyed Despres, who is 24, as he was led away.

“When you take him to Shepody, drive him through Minto,” one relative yelled at authorities. “We’ll take care of him.”

Outside the court, relatives gathered behind family spokesman Mike Richardson, who expressed their collective disappointment with the justice system.

“When is he going to become fit? Twenty years down the road?” an exasperated Richardson told news reporters. “We want justice here. We want justice.”

The trial was stopped in February after Despres delivered a 10-minute courtroom rant about al-Qaida, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and an organization he called the “super space patrol.”

After his arrest in 2005, psychiatric assessments declared him fit for trial, but his mental condition appeared to deteriorate as the trial wore on. During his delusional episodes in court, Despres described himself as everything from a special forces sniper to a pilot for the space patrol.

The judge’s ruling followed a special hearing earlier this week. Two psychiatrists, one testifying for the defense and one for the prosecution, found that Despres suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.

While the defense expert said Despres was unfit to continue with his trial, the prosecution witness said the opposite.

In her ruling, Clendening said Despres’ ability to understand was “adversely impacted by his current psychosis.” She also noted that both doctors agreed Despres is not faking his disorder.

The Despres case attracted international attention after he was arrested in Massachusetts shortly after the bodies were found.

Despres had crossed into Calais, Maine, from New Brunswick and was permitted entry into the United States despite his bizarre behavior and the odd items he was carrying, including a chain saw, a homemade sword and an ax.

Border officials confiscated the weapons, but said they could not deny Despres entry to the United States since he held dual Canadian and U.S. citizenship.