Kitchener man found not criminally responsible for wife’s death facing new charges

A man found not criminally responsible for killing his wife and an explosion in Kitchener was back in court facing new charges. CTV’s Krista Simpson explains.

The man found not criminally responsible for killing his wife and causing an explosion at their Kitchener home made a brief court appearance in St. Thomas Tuesday, where he is now facing new charges.

Udo Haan is charged with three counts of disobeying orders imposed by the Ontario Review Board, which has jurisdiction over him as he undergoes treatment at the Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care.

The alleged breaches occurred on April 18, 2025 — just days after Haan’s annual hearing with the board.

At that hearing, board members heard Haan has been living independently in an apartment near the hospital since October 2024. He remains under supervision and is required to attend frequent meetings with his medical team.

Haan has been diagnosed with an unspecified bipolar and related disorder, and is being treated with lithium. The board continues to deem him a “significant threat” to public safety.

Following the hearing, the board laid out a range of privileges that could be granted over the coming year by the person in charge of Haan’s care. At the upper end, those included seven-day travel passes, up to four times per year, so he can visit certain locations in Ontario. He can also be allowed to reside in Elgin or Middlesex counties.

However, Haan is now facing a restriction of liberty hearing — a mandatory process if the hospital significantly increases restrictions on an accused person’s liberty for more than seven consecutive days.

The board says it cannot release details about the nature of the restrictions or the circumstances leading to them ahead of the hearing. The upcoming proceeding will determine whether the increased restrictions are warranted. It is also possible that decisions on what he’s potentially allowed to do this year could be changed.

A hearing date has not yet been confirmed.

On the new criminal charges, Haan is scheduled to return to St. Thomas court on July 8.

In February 2023, Haan was found not criminally responsible for the August 2018 death of his wife, Edra Haan, and for triggering an explosion at their home on Sprucedale Crescent in Kitchener. The judge noted he was suffering from delusions at the time.