Brian Csati was having thoughts he was the Antichrist leading up to the day he stabbed Karl Alkier in December of 2009.
Penticton Supreme Court Justice Gary Parrett heard from Dr. Shabehram Lohrasbe on Tuesday on why he believed Csati should be determined not criminally responsible.
“It took me by surprise how severe his mental disorder is,” said Lohrasbe, explaining that even after months of anti-psychosis drugs Csati was suffering from many of the symptoms of schizophrenia. “There is no doubt that Mr. Csati is severely mentally ill ... he is strikingly ill.”
In December 2009, RCMP were called to a residence on Hatfield Avenue because of a stabbing. Karl Alkier, 53, had been stabbed in the chest and was transported to Penticton Regional Hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. A charge of second-degree murder was laid on Csati, who was 19 at the time. He was the son of Alkier’s ex-girlfriend.
During an interview, Csati told Lohrasbe that he had delusions of his sister who died in a fire in 2004 and that she was speaking to him on an intermittent basis.
“He had transient beliefs he is an Antichrist or he should kill his father,” Lohrasbe said. “He held delusions he was Satan, the Antichrist or what he considered spiritual things. He linked spiritual to movies like Rosemary’s Baby and The Omen or the band Children of Bodom.”
Csati told the doctor that he thought the Children of Bodom were speaking to him at a concert or even that he was a member of the band. The heavy metal band was described by the doctor as “loud, clangy, dark stuff.”
Crown prosector Susan Greba questioned why there was never a word spoken by Csati during the stabbing on Dec. 19, 2009 and why he showed no apparent emotion.
“That supports my view that a mental disorder was prominent at the time,” said Lohrasbe.
Kris Walterson, a longtime friend of Alkier’s, told the Penticton Western News previously that Alkier had spent the morning taking Christmas photos of friends and enjoyed lunch with them before he told them he had to fulfill a promise he had made to his ex-girlfriend’s family. He told Csati’s mother that he would take their family Christmas photos as well. Walterson said at the time his friend indicated he truly didn’t want to go but he promised he would do it and left the house around 2 p.m.
Csati told the doctor he had been waiting outside for his mother the day he killed Alkier. He thought he saw Alkier’s truck and that set off thoughts that Alkier was hurting his brother and mother. Csati then said he had a flash of a cemetery nearby.
The doctor said there is overwhelming evidence that a mental disorder is active in Csati and that he had already pre-existing thoughts about killing himself or others and doing it with a knife. Lohrasbe said Csati can appreciate what a knife is and stabbing someone causes harm. He said Csati even answered that it was not right to kill Alkier. But the doctor said when Csati is psychotic he can’t deal with moral issues and he can’t determine if something is right or wrong.
“Only this explains what happened that day. It is the only thing that makes sense,” said Greba to the court.
Justice Parrett is expected to come back to court today at 2 p.m. with his decision and reasons on if Csati should be deemed not criminally responsible.
“The evidence is relatively short. There is no more serious offence in the Criminal Code. The outcome is of substantial concern and impact to not just you (Csati), but friends and family of the deceased,” said Parrett.