Lawyers in the case of accused murderer Graham Veitch say they have received the medical report they were waiting for, and need time to review it.
Veitch didn’t appear in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court when his case was called Monday morning, but was represented by his lawyer, Mark Gruchy. Gruchy explained Veitch, who has been in custody since his arrest in December 2016, is currently in hospital.
Gruchy and Crown prosecutor Shawn Patten have been waiting on a psychiatric evaluation report, which Gruchy has said will have a significant impact in the case. The lawyers told the court they received the report earlier this month, and will need some time to go over it.
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Veitch murder case involves ‘complex medical issues,’ lawyer says
“I did some preliminary review of it,” Patten said. “It’s a complicated matter.”
There are signs the two lawyers have come to some sort of agreement in the case, and Veitch is expected to plead not criminally responsible for the murder of his mother’s partner, David Collins, just before Christmas 2016.
Gruchy and Patten will meet for a pre-trial conference Jan. 30, and Veitch’s case will be called again at the next arraignment date, Feb. 1.
Gruchy has said in the past Veitch suffers from some complex medical issues. He is often in administrative segregation at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary because of his health challenges — challenges Gruchy has said the province’s correctional system isn’t equipped to handle.
Veitch was declared fit to stand trial after a lengthy psychiatric evaluation last January. Since then, his appearance and demeanour have changed drastically, and he has seemed unwell at recent court proceedings, moving slowly and having no expression.
Veitch, 19, was charged after police and paramedics were called to a home on Cadigan’s Road in Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove around 7 p.m. on Dec. 18, 2016, where they found David Collins gravely injured. He was taken to hospital, but died of his injuries.
Police say Veitch killed Collins and assaulted his own mother with a hammer before stealing Collins’ vehicle and leaving. RNC officers found him four hours later, and they say he rammed a police cruiser while trying to escape. He is alleged to have struck a second vehicle while attempting to drive around the first.
Collins, 55, was a native of Placentia Bay and a well-known pharmacist in St. John’s.
