Son not criminally responsible for stabbing death of parents at Hamilton apartment

Phuoc Hoa Vo killed his dad first, stabbing 67-year-old Hung Vo inside the family's 13th-floor apartment at 20 George St. downtown Hamilton. Then he turned on his 61-year-old mom, Moui Khuu, in the hallway.

Security video on the afternoon of April 26, 2021, shows Khuu shaking her head no with both hands in the air. The mother is pleading with her son, who then stabbed her in the chest, said assistant Crown attorney Cheryl Gzik, reading from an agreed statement of facts at a hearing that began Wednesday and concluded Friday.

They struggled for a knife and his mom managed to kick it down the hallway. The 34-year-old runs to grab it and stabbed himself multiple times, before once again returning to his mom. Vo went into the apartment, where he lived with his parents, and came back out with a blanket and lay down beside his mother.

When Hamilton police arrived they found the mother and son side-by-side in the hallway covered in blood, Gziksaid.

A witness heard Vo say, I'm sorry," that he did this" to his parents and he wanted them to let him die. The first police officer on scene heard him say: kill me, shoot me."

Both his parents died, but the younger Vo survived his self-inflicted wounds after emergency surgery. He faced two counts of second-degree murder.

In court Friday he was found not criminally responsible (NCR) because of a mental disorder.

He was at the time suffering from a mental disorder such that, although he was capable of appreciating the nature and quality of the acts, he was not capable of knowing they were wrong," said Superior Court Justice Paul Sweeny.

The decision was based on expert testimony from two forensic psychiatrists who assessed the now-36-year-old.

Dr. Gary Chaimowitz, the head of forensic psychiatry at St. Joseph's West 5th Campus, said Vo was initially diagnosed with delusional disorder, but is possibly evolving to schizophrenia. Vo had a multi-year history of psychotic symptoms including paranoid ideas.

Around the time of the murders, Vo was consumed with the belief that he and his parents would be killed. He believe he was getting messages and videos showing horrible things like his mother being strangled and dad fed to dogs. Chaimowitz said Vo believed he was sparing them a worse fate.

In some respects it was an altruistic murder," Chaimowitz explained.

While the memories of many patients treated following psychosis fade, Vo, unfortunately has an acute memory of every second of those 20 minutes," he said.

Vo wanted to die that day and still believes he needs to die, despite some improvement to his condition with medication.

A second assessment, sought by the defence, by Dr. Mark Pearce found Vo suffers from schizophrenia. He also noted alcohol and cannabis-use disorders, which can heighten symptoms.

Pearce said the most prevalent symptoms were the delusional beliefs. But he also suffered from what he called negative symptoms such as not being able to go outside, work or maintain relationships. Pearce said the symptoms went back to as early as 2013, including hospitalizations for psychosis.

Vo was very unwell" at the time of the offences. He had covered up smoke detectors in his home with tinfoil, believed he was being surveilled and that he was being sent messages about his parents facing a horrific death.

Court heard Vo and his father did not have the best relationship, including the younger Vo previously being handed a conditional discharge in court for threatening his father. However, Pearce said he believes the stabbings were tied to the delusions about his parents being cruelly killed.

He didn't know what was real and what wasn't real," he said.

Court heard Vo was the middle of three children in the family who came to Canada from Vietnam. As a young man, Vo initially worked and once lived with a girlfriend, but later lost his job and moved back in with his parents - first in Burlington and later at the Hamilton apartment.

Gzikread victim impact statements from his two adult sisters, simply identified as the older and younger sister, and a son-in-law. Both expressed sadness at the loss of their parents, fear of their brother and family shame.

The oldest daughter said she feels unloved and completely alone." She recalled her brother was screaming outside her apartment the day before the murders and her parents told her to ignore him.

The youngest daughter said her brother is no longer a part of her family. The murders will be a lifetime secret" that she will withhold from her child and any future children. They will never know their grandparents or truly understand their Vietnamese heritage.

The family expressed fear he would find them if released.

Vo will remain in hospital and the matter will go to the Ontario Review Board within 45 days and then annually for review.

Nicole O'Reilly is a crime and justice reporter at The Spectator. noreilly@thespec.com