Days before a Langford man killed his mother in what psychiatrists have called a schizophrenia-induced psychosis, his mother sought help from police and mental-health authorities, a B.C. Supreme Court heard Tuesday.
Ryan Elder, 30, left the mobile home he shared with his mother, Raymonde Elder, a few days before the Christmas Day killing in 2021.
The pair had argued during what the defence team characterized as a “severe” psychotic episode, defence lawyer Schuyler Roy said as he delivered closing submissions Tuesday in Ryan Elder’s second-degree murder trial.
Raymonde Elder, 59, called police to report her son missing a few days before she died, telling a call-taker she wanted to take her son to a hospital but they wouldn’t admit him unless he wanted to hurt himself or kill others, Roy said. Ryan Elder returned home the next day.
“Unfortunately, that missing-person call did not translate to Mr. Elder being apprehended and getting the help he needed. And tragically, four to five days later, that resulted in the killing of his mother,” he said.
Raymonde Elder’s body was found in her home by police conducting a wellness check on New Year’s Eve in 2021. Ryan Elder was found in the home at the time and arrested.
Roy and co-counsel Ryan Drury are asking the court to find Ryan Elder not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder, arguing he was incapable of knowing what he was doing was wrong when he killed his mother.
“The defence is certainly recognizing that what occurred was an absolute tragedy. We’re not here to debate that. We’re here to debate Mr. Elder’s legal culpability for those actions,” Roy said.
Under the Criminal Code, a person is not responsible for an act committed while suffering from a mental disorder that rendered the person incapable of appreciating the nature and quality of the act or omission or of knowing that it was wrong.
Two psychiatrists testified at trial they believe Ryan Elder was experiencing psychosis at the time of the killing. Both doctors diagnosed him with schizophrenia that was exacerbated by cannabis use.
Dr. Andriy Kolchak concluded Ryan Elder’s untreated psychotic illness caused him to believe his mother had been replaced by an imposter and that she was trying to poison him with a pair of scissors in her mouth.
“He ultimately felt that his life was in immediate danger,” Kolchak concluded.
Ryan Elder had not received any assistance with his mental health from July 2021 to the time of his mother’s death at the end of 2021, despite a schizophrenia diagnosis, Roy said. He had previously been prescribed anti-psychotic medication but had stopped taking it.
Roy noted Ryan Elder shared more details with the two psychiatrists than he did with police when he was initially arrested. In particular, he did not tell police he believed his mother was an imposter.
Roy argued the information shared with psychiatrists years after his arrest is not an indication Ryan Elder was concocting a story to appear mentally ill and avoid criminal responsibility.
Kolchak testified Ryan Elder tried to hide his mental illness during his interviews, such that it would not be apparent to a person without psychiatric expertise.
“The record clearly indicates that Mr. Elder has a history of reluctance when it comes to accepting that he is schizophrenic, that he has a history of concealing his symptoms,” Roy said.
In statements to police and to doctors, he has never advocated for a finding that he is not criminally responsible due to mental disorder, he said.
“No evidence has been put forward to support or to even make the court suspicious that Mr. Elder was or is malingering and feigning illness to escape criminal liability,” Roy said.
If found not criminally responsible, Ryan Elder would go before the B.C. Review Board to assess how much of a threat he poses to society. The board decides whether to detain a person found not criminally responsible in a psychiatric hospital, or to discharge the person with or without conditions.
Crown prosecutors are expected to deliver their closing arguments Wednesday.
