Blair Donnelly, the individual charged with injuring three individuals at a festival in Vancouver’s Chinatown in September 2023, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of aggravated assault. Donnelly, who appeared in court donning a navy sweatsuit and carrying a Bible, was on unsupervised leave from the B.C. Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam when the incident occurred.
During the court proceedings, Crown prosecutor Mark Myhre revealed that Donnelly had confessed to being the perpetrator behind the stabbings. Myhre emphasized that the central issue for the court to determine is whether Donnelly bears criminal responsibility or if his actions were a result of a mental disorder.
The incident sparked public outcry, with Premier David Eby expressing strong disapproval upon learning that the suspect was out on leave from a psychiatric facility. Donnelly entered his pleas at the start of his trial by judge alone at the Supreme Court in Vancouver.
Myhre detailed that Donnelly had left the psychiatric hospital for a bike ride but instead went to Home Depot to purchase a chisel. Subsequently, he traveled to Vancouver via the Braid SkyTrain station and attended the Light Up Chinatown festival, where the stabbings occurred during a musical performance on September 10, 2023.
The victims, two women stabbed in the back requiring stitches and a man stabbed in the arm and knee, received medical attention including tetanus shots. Myhre highlighted that Donnelly, who suffers from a mental illness, must be assessed for his mental state at the time of the attacks.
Video evidence presented by Myhre showed Donnelly purchasing the chisel and his presence at the festival, where he carried out the assaults without verbal communication with the victims. The footage also captured Donnelly fleeing the scene before his apprehension.
The trial will proceed with the defense expected to present its case following the closure of the Crown’s arguments. Notably, a prior report by former Abbotsford Police Department Chief Bob Rich disclosed that Donnelly had been granted leave from psychiatric care numerous times without issue, despite previous violent incidents.