Man charged with murder in 2020 Toronto mosque stabbing found not criminally responsible
A man accused of killing a 58-year-old Muslim man outside a Toronto mosque has been found not criminally responsible in the case.
Guilherme (William) Von Neutegem had been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Mohamed-Aslim Zafis, who was stabbed outside the International Muslim Organization in west Toronto on Sept. 12, 2020.
The Ministry of the Attorney General said Von Neutegem was found not criminally responsible by an Ontario court on Friday.
Bebi Zafis, Mohamed-Aslim Zafis' only daughter, wrote in a victim impact statement that she's been profoundly affected by her father's death.
"I know that no punishment will ever be enough for what this man has done to my father," she wrote.
"There is no room in Canada for people who commit such violent acts and then questionably use mental health as their defence for what they have done."
Von Neutegem's case has been referred to the Ontario Review Board. The board decides if and how not criminally responsible patients should be detained.
Bebi Zafis described her father as a caring and loving parent who checked in on her daily.
"I am here today without the love and support of my father because he was murdered," she wrote. "He came forward to give me the love and support I desperately needed."
Zafis, who also lost her mother in a car accident months before her father's death, said she lives in constant fear and has been left "broken" by what happened.
Psychiatric reports filed with the court said Von Neutegem was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
One of the reports said he was suffering from schizophrenia when he carried out the attack, and up to two years prior, but he was not diagnosed or treated for the mental illness at the time.
Von Neutegem said he started hearing male voices around five months before his arrest giving him instructions from "higher dimensions" that it was time for him "to find someone to kill," one psychiatric report said.
Von Neutegem said he thought it was not generally fine to kill a person but felt he had to comply with the command because it was coming from "higher planes," the report said.
"It's not up to a person to decide who lives and dies ... it's up to the higher guiding of things, God or the universe," he was quoted saying in a report by Dr Alina Iosif, a forensic psychiatrist.
The Canadian Anti-Hate Network had alleged that Von Neutegem was linked with a neo-Nazi group after reviewing his social media accounts following the attack. But he rejected any hate toward Muslims, according to the report.
"He indicated that he had 'basic knowledge' regarding Islam but no feelings of animosity against it," Iosif wrote.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 29, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.