Michaud not criminally responsible for mother’s death

In this April 2015, file photo, a Cornwall police cruiser sits outside a home on Carleton Street where a murder happened April 6, 2015. The accused has been found not criminally responsible due to mental illness. (Cornwall Newswatch/Bill Kingston, File)

CORNWALL – A Cornwall man has been found not criminally responsible in the death of his mother in April 2015.

The verdict was handed down today (Thursday) for Jonathan Michaud following a three-day hearing where a Cornwall court heard from two psychiatrists.

Michaud’s 52-year-old mother, Jacqueline Martin, was found stabbed to death in her Carleton Street home on April 6, 2015 and Michaud was later charged with first degree murder.

But a judge ruled today, after hearing the evidence, he believed the 31-year-old had been lead by voices in his head to carry out the killing after suffering from years of mental illness that had been left untreated.

Michaud will be sent to the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Center and the case will be reviewed by the Ontario Review Board within the next three months to determine the best treatment for him going forward.