Man deemed not criminally responsible for fatal Nanaimo coffee shop incident

In a tragic incident in Nanaimo, a man named James Carey Turok stabbed a 79-year-old man named Eric Kutzner to death in a coffee shop in a random attack. Turok entered the coffee shop where Kutzner was preparing baked goods and proceeded to stab him 12 times in the face, chest, and back before stuffing a rag into his mouth. Despite this brutal act, Turok has been found not criminally responsible for the attack due to a mental disorder.

The incident took place on February 12, 2022, with staff members arriving at the bakery and finding the door locked. They discovered Kutzner’s blood-soaked legs and Turok walking around dripping blood. Turok was eventually found hiding under a desk in the bakery’s office and resisted arrest. In the aftermath of the attack, Turok made strange and incomprehensible statements, referring to Kutzner as a zombie and demanding to be charged with treason for posts criticizing Queen Elizabeth.

Turok’s mental health history dates back at least 12 years and includes hospitalizations and certification under the Mental Health Act. He has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, and schizophrenia. Two psychiatrists testified that Turok was experiencing a psychotic episode during the attack and was incapable of appreciating the wrongfulness of his actions. Turok has a pattern of going into remission while on medication but relapsing when off it, which was the case at the time of the attack.

Despite admitting to killing Kutzner in a horrific manner, Turok asked the court to find him not criminally responsible due to his mental disorder. The court agreed with this assessment, stating that Turok’s psychosis caused him to believe that Kutzner was not human, making him incapable of appreciating the nature of his actions. Turok will be held at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam pending a disposition by the review board, ensuring he remains under the control of the state.

While the verdict means that Turok was not found guilty, it does not release him from custody. In a statement after Kutzner’s death, his family described him as a vibrant member of society and a champion for the disabled and seniors’ housing. Kutzner had received the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award in 2016 for his work in restoring a property that housed and employed people with disabilities. Despite the tragic events, the court process aims to ensure that Kutzner’s family is not overlooked and that justice is served for the senseless attack that took his life.