By Canadian Press

Key witness for defence to testify for fourth day in van attack trial

Dec 3, 2020 | 7:55 AM

TORONTO — The key witness for the defence in Toronto’s van attack trial is set to testify for the fourth straight day today.

Psychiatrist Dr. Alexander Westphal has stopped short of saying Alek Minassian is not criminally responsible for his actions on April 23, 2018.

He says Minassian does not truly understand the moral wrongfulness of killing 10 people by using a van as a weapon.

But Westphal says criminal responsibility is a legal opinion, not a psychiatric one.

Minassian has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 of attempted murder.

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He argues he should be found not criminally responsible due to autism spectrum disorder.

Minassian’s state of mind is the sole issue at trial after he admitted to planning and carrying out the attack.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2020.

The Canadian Press