FREDERICTON - An accused killer who went on a 10-minute courtroom rant about al Qaeda, Saddam Hussein and something he called "Super Space Patrol'' has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric assessment.
Gregory Despres, 24, of Minto, N.B., is on trial for the first-degree murders of his elderly neighbours, Fred Fulton, 74, and Verna Decarie, 70.
The couple's butchered bodies were found in their home on April 26, 2005. Fulton was decapitated and Decarie had been stabbed numerous times.
Despres was arrested in Massachusetts the same day.
Judge Judy Clendenning ordered the assessment and adjourned the trial until the end of March after Despres stood in the courtroom and accused his lawyer of working for the al Qaeda terrorist network and Hussein, the executed Iraqi dictator.
Despres also said that if the assessment took longer than five days, he would be forced to testify before the SSP, which he said stood for "Super Space Patrol.''
He also demanded his lawyer be fired, but the judge denied the request.
Lawyer Ed Darrah, who is representing Despres, asked for the assessment, telling the court his client is not fit to stand trial.
Two experts assessed Despres and found him mentally fit before the trial started Jan. 8.
