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Toronto man who stabbed a stranger and killed his brother gets escorted city visits despite 'significant threat'
A Toronto man found not criminally responsible for stabbing a woman in the back as she crossed the street, as well as killing his brother who tried to intervene in a fight with their mother, will get escorted city visits even though he “continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public.”
Kenroy Samuel, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, major depressive disorder and cannabis use disorder, was found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder in 2021 on charges of assault causing bodily harm and manslaughter.
Samuel was confined to the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, in Penetanguishene — Ontario’s most secure forensic facility. But he is next in line to be transferred to Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, according to a recent decision from the Ontario Review Board (ORB).
Samuel asked the panel to extend his privileges by allowing him to enter the Greater Toronto Area with an escort, accompanied by a hospital staffer or an approved person, such as his mother. He was also looking for more freedom on hospital grounds.
The independent tribunal that regularly reviews the status of individuals found not criminally responsible due to mental disorder said it “is confident” the plan will assure the safety of the public and that the hospital will control the “pace of Mr. Samuel’s next steps.”
A hearing this spring examined whether he was ready for more freedom.
“The parties were canvassed for their initial positions at the beginning of the hearing. All agreed that Mr. Samuel continued to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public,” said the decision.
The ORB heard that on Dec. 6, 2019 at 4:15 a.m., Samuel stabbed a woman from behind near Northcliffe Boulevard and Eglinton Avenue West.
“She fled the area, going southbound back to Northcliffe Boulevard. The victim did not realize that she had been stabbed at first, as she was stunned by the encounter. She made her way to the hospital, where she was treated for her injury,” said the decision. She required two stitches.
Police arrested Samuel after witnesses and video surveillance identified him as the woman’s attacker.
Samuel “had been noncompliant with recommended treatment for his major mental illness, had abused his medication as well as Tylenol 3s and had been using cannabis in the periods leading up to the commission of the index offence,” said the decision. “He was experiencing auditory hallucinations and paranoia that included his mother screaming for help and delusions that ‘they’ would kill her if he did not stab someone.”
On March 15, 2020, “in the early hours of the morning,” Samuel was arguing with his mother in their apartment at Dufferin Street and Eglinton Avenue West.
Samuel “physically assaulted his mother and behaved inappropriately toward her. His older brother (Birchfield Matthews, who lived in the same building) intervened to calm the situation and retrieved a knife Mr. Samuel had taken to his bedroom, but the confrontation escalated, culminating in Mr. Samuel fatally stabbing his brother,” said the decision.
Samuel was born in Toronto, “and raised primarily by his mother, following his parents’ separation when he was five,” said the decision. “He witnessed domestic violence in childhood, and his father returned to St. Vincent after facing legal issues and deportation. Despite reportedly normal developmental milestones, Mr. Samuel exhibited significant behavioural problems, including aggression, vandalism, theft, gang involvement, and violence toward family members. His adolescence involved substance misuse, truancy, school suspensions, and expulsions, along with ongoing difficulties associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.”
Samuel “completed high school despite concentration difficulties and an identified learning disability,” said the decision. “He briefly attended college but withdrew due to mental health struggles. His employment record includes various short-term positions, often terminated due to poor attendance or concentration problems.”
Samuel drank alcohol “from a youthful age” and used cannabis daily, said the decision, which notes he also occasionally misused “his mother’s prescription opioid medication (Tylenol 3 tablets) when experiencing suicidal ideation.”
His “mental health concerns emerged in his late teens and early twenties, marked by agitation, paranoia, disorganized behaviour, exacerbated by repeated cannabis use. He had multiple emergency room visits and psychiatric assessments between 2009 and 2013, often triggered by aggression toward his mother or threats of self-harm. During this period, he was variously diagnosed with substance-induced psychosis, personality disorder, and possible schizophrenia. Despite intermittent improvement with antipsychotic medication, he was frequently non-compliant with treatment, declined addiction services, and was often lost to follow-up.”
From 2015 onward, Samuel “experienced more sustained psychiatric stabilization following hospitalization with antipsychotic medications and regular psychiatric follow-ups. While some improvement was noted – particularly when compliant with treatment – he continued to demonstrate poor insight into his condition, cannabis dependence, and a pattern of deterioration when non-adherent to medications.”
Samuel had “reduced or discontinued his medication” before the stabbings, said the decision.
But his recent hospital report indicates Samuel has demonstrated “sustained clinical stability, exemplary engagement in treatment, and rapid, incident-free advancement in privileges,” said the decision.
He “has performed impressively in available unit employment opportunities,” said the decision.
He is goal-oriented and exploring options for schooling. He is medication compliant and expresses guilt, shame and emotional distress associated with the index offences, wishing he could ‘go back.’ His insight globally shows improvement.”
His psychiatrist testified that Samuel “agreed to move to a long-acting injectable anti-psychotic medication without hesitation. He has been cooperative and insightful into his need for this treatment,” said the decision.
“This, together with his level of participation in programming as noted supports the conclusion that Mr. Samuel is on a ‘very positive trajectory.’”
His psychiatrist “highlighted the hospital report’s assertion that ‘gradual progression of privileges’ is ‘essential’ to Mr. Samuel’s ongoing risk mitigation,” said the decision.
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