FORT FRANCES, Ont. - A man charged with second-degree murder in connection to the deaths of a Fort Frances couple has been found not criminally responsible.
Tyler John Cousineau, 38, was charged in March 2017 by the Ontario Provincial Police for killing 66-year-old Carol Affleck and 77-year-old Lovern Affleck.
Cousineau lived across from the couple, who were originally from British Columbia, in a Fort Frances trailer park at the time.
A judge in Fort Frances found that Cousineau was not criminally responsible for their deaths but because he is still considered high risk, he will remain in custody.
Crown attorney, Andrew Sadler, said a psychiatric evaluation of Cousineau was presented to the court and it showed he was “clearly mentally disturbed during the incident.”
Cousineau’s mental instability was demonstrated in the months following the attack. Sadler added, and a joint submission from the Crown and George Joseph, who represented Cousineau, asked that he be found not criminally responsible.
Sadler said it was an appropriate resolution to the matter.
Cousineau will initially be held in the Forensic Mental Health Inpatient Unit at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
The Ontario Review Board, which annually reviews the status of all people found not criminally responsible or unfit to stand trial for criminal offences, will determine an appropriate facility in which to transfer Cousineau where he will undergo ongoing assessment.
