A Hay River man facing a charge of second-degree murder has admitted killing his mother.
Linda Lafferty died from stab wounds outside her home in the town in September 2012. Richard Deleeuw, then 25, was arrested immediately thereafter.
Deleeuw’s murder trial began on Monday.
In an agreed statement of facts, he admitted using a fold-up knife with a 10cm blade to stab his mother in the chest.
Lafferty, who was 52, died within an hour of the incident.
The police officer who arrested Deleeuw said he had admitted going ‘berserk’ and stabbing his mother at the time of the arrest.
The statement of facts acknowledges that Deleeuw had faced psychological troubles in the months leading up to the attack on his mother.
After five months of avoiding his medication, Lafferty had taken to hiding it in Deleeuw’s sandwiches – though he had not eaten them for two days prior to her death.
The ongoing trial will attempt to determine whether mental illness means Deleeuw cannot be held criminally responsible.
