FREDERICTON — The mother of Fredericton mass shooter Matthew Raymond says he constantly talked about conspiracy theories and she tried to convince him to see a doctor.
Shirley Raymond took the stand today as a defence witness at the trial of her son on four counts of first-degree murder.
The defence and Crown agree that Matthew Raymond killed Donnie Robichaud, Bobbie Lee Wright and Fredericton police constables Robb Costello and Sara Burns in August 2018 and that he had a mental illness.
The defence is trying to prove he should be found not criminally responsible because of the mental illness.
His mother told the court her son believed in demons and that the end of time was coming, but he refused to get help and said she was the one who was sick.
She says that after hearing of the shootings the morning they happened, she tried calling him to tell him to stay safe, but it never crossed her mind that he was the suspect.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2020.
The Canadian Press
