On Friday, a review board held a hearing in Moncton to assess Gregory Allen Despres’ mental state and at the end of the hearing a judge ruled that he was suffering from delusions stemming from paranoid schizophrenia which saved him from being criminally responsible.

Despres was convicted of repeatedly stabbing his neighbors74-year-old Fred Fulton and 70-year-old Verna Decarie at their Minto home April 26, 2005 and now he will have to spend two more years under psychiatric care as he has already been receiving treatment at the Shepody Healing Centre at Dorchester Penitentiary.

Dr. Christian Demore reported that he neither showed any remorse nor he admitted to his crimes and he believes that Despres needed continued treatment.

In addition, he said, “Our recommendation and our observations was that there hadn't been significant changes in the past two-year period and that was likely to continue although there has been incremental progress over time”.

While reading victim impact statements during the hearing, Mary Kennedy Fulton said that the review board made the best possible decision.

Adding to it, she said, “Quite frankly it tears our family apart every two years when we do this, but we do this because we love Papa and Verna and we needed to do that for them as well as for ourselves”.