Man who killed off-duty cop receiving PTSD treatment funded by Veterans Affairs
HALIFAX — A Halifax man convicted of strangling an off-duty police officer and using a compost bin to dispose of her body is receiving treatment in prison for post-traumatic stress disorder — and it’s being funded by Veterans Affairs Canada.
The arrangement has drawn criticism from the victim’s aunt, Mandy Reekie Wong, who says veterans should be outraged that Christopher Garnier is getting funded treatment — even though he is not a veteran.
“There are actual veterans who returned from war, or multiple wars, and they are killing themselves because they can’t get help for the PTSD they suffer from through no fault of their own,” Reekie Wong said in a recent Facebook post, which she later confirmed in a direct message.
At a court hearing earlier this month, Crown lawyer Christine Driscoll confirmed the convicted murderer is being seen by a private psychologist, and that Veterans Affairs is covering the cost because Garnier’s father is a veteran who has also been diagnosed with PTSD.