Man who set woman on fire aboard Toronto bus not criminally responsible for her death: lawyers
The man charged with killing a woman by setting her on fire on a TTC bus two years ago admitted to causing her death, but should not be found criminally responsible due a diagnosis of schizophrenia, prosecutors and defence counsel argued at the outset of his trial in Toronto.
Led into the courtrooms in handcuffs on Monday morning, Tenzin Norbu pleaded not guilty to the charge of first-degree murder in front of Superior Court Justice Maureen Forestell, presiding over the matter without a jury. Norbu was arrested and charged with the attempted murder of Nyima Dolma in June 2022, shortly after he set her on fire aboard a bus at Kipling Station in west Toronto.
Dolma and Norbu were strangers to one another at the time of the offence.
According to an agreed statement of facts, Dolma, on her way to work as a caregiver, was sitting near the back of the bus when Norbu boarded and stood behind her. In an interaction that lasted minutes, Norbu, who immigrated to Canada in 2008, asked the woman if she was Tibetan before removing a mason jar of lighter fluid from his backpack, dousing her in it, and igniting the substance, the court heard during the Crown's opening statements. She suffered burns to 60 per cent of her body, covering her face, neck, arms, and legs.
The incident was captured in its entirery on TTC surveillance footage but was not tendered as evidence in the case to protect against further collateral trauma.
After 18 days in hospital, Dolma died on July 5, 2022. She was 28 years old. At that time, police upgraded Norbu's charge to first-degree murder.
Police say 28-year-old Nyima Dolma, pictured, died of her injuries in hospital July 5 after being set on fire by a stranger at Kipling Subway Station on June 17, 2022. (Handout /Toronto Police)
On Monday, both Crown prosecutors and Norbu’s lawyers asked Justice Forestell to find him not criminally responsible for Dolma’s death, arguing that a “long-standing” psychotic state rendered him incapable of fully understanding what he’d done.
Alina Iosif, a forensic psychiatrist who reviewed years worth of Norbu’s medical records before assessing him, told the court she believed he suffered from schizophrenia when he attacked Dolma, and that he had displayed psychotic behaviour for nearly a decade prior to the offence. Norbu had likely been misdiagnosed with depression years earlier and was medicated as such, she said.
Norbu’s delusions, Iosif testified, included ongoing preoccupations with Tibetan politics, fire, and his sexuality, and, on several occasions, he revealed to doctors a desire to light himself on fire, she said.
“I see these themes as almost obsessional,” she testified. “The cornerstone of these themes is anchored in psychosis.”
Lawyers for Norbu did not call any evidence following Iosif’s testimony but made a joint submission that their client be found not criminally responsible.
“Mr. Norbu suffered from a longstanding diagnosis of schizophrenia,” Crown attorney Brady Donohue told the court. “There is clear evidence that he was delusional, psychotic, disorganized and for that reason, he could not understand that his act was wrong.”
In a prepared statement read out loud to the court, Dolma’s sister called the day of the attack “the darkest day of her life.”
“She had a whole life ahead of her,” she said. “I can’t put into words the pain, suffering, trauma I had to go through.”
TTC Supervisor Cameron Jackson, who tried to help Dolma after she ran from the bus and onto the Kipling platform, also gave a statement in which he said the incident still serves as a “stark reminder of the fragility of life.”
“Every interaction is tinged with a sense of detachment,” Jackson said from the witness stand. “As I grapple with the barrage of memories, I replay every moment of the incident in a desperate attempt to decipher what I could have done differently.”
Justice Forestell is scheduled to hand down her decision on Tuesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Killer who stabbed victim 'at least 52 times' dies in B.C. prison
A 72-year-old inmate serving a life sentence for a brutal murder that happened in Chilliwack in 2016 has died, according to the Correctional Service of Canada.
Israeli airstrikes hit the southern suburbs of Beirut after another strike destroyed buildings
The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah's headquarters in Beirut on Friday in a series of massive explosions that targeted the leader of the militant group and levelled multiple high-rise apartment buildings.
American woman gets SUV stuck in elevator bay at B.C. casino
A U.S. driver somehow squeezed her vehicle through a parkade hallway at a Metro Vancouver casino Thursday, before getting stuck at an elevator bank.
Hurricane Helene kills at least 44 and cuts a swath of destruction across the Southeast
Hurricane Helene left an enormous path of destruction across Florida and the southeastern U.S. on Friday, killing at least 44 people, snapping towering oaks like twigs and tearing apart homes as rescue crews launched desperate missions to save people from floodwaters.
After decades-long search, northern Ontario man finds vintage vehicle in Larder Lake
A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.
2 people caught illegally crossing the International Railroad Bridge into the U.S.: border officials
Two Italian citizens have been apprehended after allegedly illegally crossing over the International Railroad Bridge to the United States.
Former military reservist sentenced for shotgun video calling Liberal MP a 'communist agent' for China
A former Canadian military reservist has been sentenced to house arrest after posting a video of himself firing a shotgun at a picture of a member of Parliament whom he accused of being a 'communist agent' for China.
P.E.I. shellfish festival gastrointestinal illness outbreak largest in province's history: health officer
More than 550 symptomatic people responded to an online questionnaire about a gastrointestinal illness at a Prince Edward Island shellfish festival last weekend.
Family of man who died in incident involving Calgary police issues statement
The family of Jon Wells, a man who died in an incident involving Calgary police earlier this month, say they are seeking time to grieve their loss.