Manitoba man to face review board over Greyhound bus killing

Vince Li, who hacked and cannibalized fellow passenger Tim McLean last summer on a Greyhound bus near Portage la Prairie is expected back in court this month for an important hearing. The Manitoba Criminal Code Review Board will decide where the 29-year-old schizophrenic man should be sent to receive treatment.

Li was found not criminally responsible by reason of insanity over his role in McLean's death last week, after a lengthy psychiatric assessment concluded that he suffered from delusions at the time of the slaying.

According to evidence presented during Li's trial earlier this year, the 24-year-old graphic design student repeatedly stabbed Mclean while the sleeping passenger slept on July 3rd, then later decapitated him and cannibalized his body.

Li is currently being held in a psychiatric facility awaiting an assessment by two psychiatrists who will provide their recommendations to the review board.

The hearing itself is expected to take place June 1st at the downtown Law Courts complex in Winnipeg's Exchange District. It was announced yesterday that Li has chosen not to attend and instead plans to appear via video link from his cell.

Li had earlier pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity on charges of first-degree murder, second degree manslaughter, and wilful endangerment with a weapon over McLean's death on the Greyhound bus.

If found fit for release, Li could be sent back into society under strict conditions or to an unlocked facility such as a halfway house.

However, given the nature of his crime - which included the brutal hacking and dismemberment of another human being - many experts believe it is highly unlikely that he will ever again walk free among ordinary citizens.

Tim mcleans killer