Crown won't appeal not criminally responsible verdict in Matthew Raymond murder trial

Crown won't appeal Raymond murder trial verdict Crown prosecutors in New Brunswick will not appeal the not criminally responsible verdict in the Matthew Raymond murder trial.

FREDERICTON — Crown Prosecutors in New Brunswick will not appeal the verdict in the Matthew Raymond murder trial.

A jury in November found Raymond not criminally responsible in the deaths of four people in Fredericton in 2018.

Raymond shot and killed Donnie Robichaud, Bobbie Lee Wright and Fredericton Police constables Sara Burns and Robb Costello outside an apartment complex, but the defence argued he suffered from a mental illness and believed he had to defend himself from demons.

The New Brunswick Crown's office said today in a statement there was no reasonable prospect of success on appeal.

It says while this was an extremely tragic event, the Crown's office must nonetheless respect the jury's verdict.

A judge last week declared Raymond a "high-risk accused" and ordered he be detained and treated at the Restigouche Hospital Centre in Campbellton, N.B.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2020.