The trial of a Gibsons man charged in the death of his mother will focus on a defence of not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder.
Kevin Christopher Webster's 10-day, second-degree murder trial in May is planned to be heard by judge alone. However, that remains to be determined as lawyer Paul McMurray needs to explain the situation to his client, currently being held at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam.
On Wednesday, McMurray told a Vancouver B.C. Supreme Court judge that the trial would be about a single issue: that Webster is not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder.
“I think the Crown is well aware that is the focus of the hearing,” prosecutor Monte Rattan told the judge.
On Dec. 27, 2020, RCMP officers discovered the body of Webster's mother, Moirin Gladys Webster, in her home on Sargent Road. Injuries were “consistent with homicide,” according to an Integrated Homicide Investigation Team statement.
Webster, 32, was arrested at the scene.
Moirin was well known in the Gibsons church-going community. She had been a congregant with Christ the King Church, where she had taught Sunday school, ran children’s programming and attended prayer groups.
