Greyhound suspect whispers 'please kill me'

Vince Li, the accused in the Greyhound bus beheading of Tim McLean appears in a Portage La Prairie court on Tuesday, August 5, 2008. (John Woods / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Warning: the following story contains graphic descriptions

The man accused of fatally stabbing and beheading a 22-year-old man aboard a Greyhound bus made a court appearance Tuesday, and whispered for someone to "please kill me."

Vincent Weiguang Li, 40, appeared before a judge Tuesday in Portage La Prairie, Man. but was silent for virtually all of the hour-long proceeding, CTV Winnipeg's Caroline Barghout told Newsnet.

After the Crown finished, a process that involved the revelation of some gruesome new details, the judge gave Li an opportunity to speak, she said.

"When he did speak, he spoke very quietly, and what he did say was, 'Please kill me,'" Barghout said.

"When he said that, there was almost a gasp in the courtroom, because people couldn't believe he had said that."

The judge ordered a psychiatric evaluation for Li, who is charged with second-degree murder in the slaying of Tim McLean. That process will start Thursday.

Crown attorney Joyce Dalmyn revealed new details about the murder as part of her submissions to get Li the evaluation. According to a police report, officers found a plastic bag containing an ear, nose and part of mouth in the pocket of the accused.

Dalmyn also said that when officers confronted Li, he would only say: "I have to stay on the bus forever."

The attack occurred last Wednesday evening outside Portage La Prairie, which is located about 80 kilometres west of Winnipeg. Without any apparent provocation, Li allegedly began stabbing McLean, who had reportedly been dozing. Terrified passengers poured off the bus.

The accused then allegedly decapitated McLean and paraded around the bus with his head. Li is also accused of consuming parts of McLean's body during his subsequent four-hour standoff with police.

None of the allegations against Li have been proven in court and he still has not entered a plea to the charge against him. His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 8.

McLean's family and friends are shattered by the violent death suffered by their loved one.

People who knew Li, who was married and who came to Canada from China in 2004, say this level of violence is not something they would have ever expected from him.

However, there are suggestions that the accused had been showing evidence of mental health troubles in the period leading up to the attack.

Greyhound pulls ads

In another development, Greyhound has ended an ad campaign that touted bus travel as being a worry-free experience.

The ad said, "There's a reason you've never heard of 'bus rage.'"

A company spokesperson said the company feels the year-long campaign is no longer appropriate, given the tragedy outside Portage La Prairie.

The campaign had officially ended before the July 30 killing of McLean, but some ads are still up, said Abby Wambaugh.

With files from CTV Winnipeg's Caroline Barghout in Portage La Prairie and files from The Canadian Press