BlackLantern
Eternal
- Joined
- May 19, 2007
- Messages
- 77,148
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 31
whatever happened to people just being ****ing crazy....?? who says there needs to be a reason for it....?
Zero_Vault, already working on Hype's Creepiest Poster 2009.![]()
Better get working soon before he gets banned...![]()
Or Hype's Stupidest Poster 2009.Zero_Vault, already working on Hype's Creepiest Poster 2009.![]()
Again, one does not need to know why he did it, because we already know.
MONEY.
The main reason for murders and suicide is money. He probably didn't have or have enough of it.
Yes I would. I've intervened in life-or-death situations before. Not saying I wasn't scared ****less, but I wasn't acting like a sniveling coward.
Polite exterior, troubled soul
By: Mike McIntyre and James Turner
Updated: August 3 at 06:59 PM CDT
Vince Li arrived from China about four years ago and found a home in Winnipeg, surrounded by a loving wife and caring members of the community who quickly took him under their wing.
He soon found a job, vastly improved his English and enjoyed socializing with new friends at Sunday-morning church services, dinner parties and trips out to Falcon Lake.
On the outside, life appeared to be very good for the new Canadian.
Yet those who got to know Vince Weiguang Li well soon recognized that beneath his friendly, polite exterior lurked something very troubling.
"He was kind of a lost soul. It was as if he was always looking for something," a member of a Winnipeg family which befriended Li -- even having him over for Christmas dinner two years ago -- told the Free Press Saturday in an exclusive interview.
The woman and her family have requested anonymity, not wanting to be deluged by other media covering a story that has made headlines around the world.
They are reeling over this week's horrific, unprovoked slaying aboard a Greyhound bus in which Li is accused of beheading a sleeping passenger in front of dozens of witnesses.
They say Li was clearly battling mental illness, but refused repeated offers to see a doctor and get help.
"I think, in their culture, (the issue of mental illness) is kind of frowned upon," the woman said. She works in the mental health field and said it was obvious Li was struggling.
"He was definitely schizophrenic, probably paranoid schizophrenic," she said. "He needed help but he just wouldn't get it."
There was the constant paranoia, a feeling that he was always being watched and that others might be out to get him.
There were his bizarre, rambling stories that seemed to come out of nowhere.
And there were the unannounced bus trips that would catch his wife by surprise -- such as the time he hopped on a Greyhound headed to The Pas, later explaining that he wanted to look at some land he was thinking about buying.
"I don't think he actually had any money. This was probably just a symptom of his disease," the woman said.
She recalls an unusual conversation with Li shortly after he got a red-light ticket in Winnipeg. "He started talking about how 'they were after me, there was nothing there,' " the woman said.
Li's illness soon began taking a toll on his marriage.
He and his wife Anna found a home in the Osborne Village area of Winnipeg shortly after coming to Canada.
He got hired as a forklift driver with Midland Foods on Nairn Avenue, while she began working several waitressing jobs at Chinese-food restaurants in the city.
The couple began occasionally attending church services at the Grant Memorial Baptist Church, which opened the door to other social opportunities.
Li worked at the church and its attached schoolhouse as a night custodian for a time.
The woman who spoke with the Free Press said her father and stepmother took a liking to the couple and began having them over for dinner and, eventually, for visits to their Whiteshell cottage.
"He was always a little bit quiet, kind of reserved. I think that's because he was self-conscious about his English," she said.
However, Li eventually warmed up to the family.
"We'd play cards together, dominoes, games like that," she said.
However, things took a turn about two years ago when Li suddenly left his wife and went to Edmonton. The woman said it's clear Li's wife was frustrated by her husband's erratic behaviour.
She stayed behind in Winnipeg -- continuing to work various jobs -- but recently moved to Edmonton where Li had apparently found work delivering newspapers and flyers.
Members of Grant Memorial church had recently spoken with Li, apparently concerned about how he and his wife were doing.
However, nobody predicted things would reach such a crisis point and climax in one of the country's grisliest murder cases.
The woman predicts Li will finally now get the help he needs -- far too late for the victim and everyone else impacted by the crime.
"There's no way he's going behind bars. He's going to end up in a mental health facility," she predicted.
Tom Castor, senior pastor at the church, said Saturday that he's certain he met Li at some point, but couldn't remember speaking with him. Turnover amongst custodial staff is high at the church, Castor said, as workers gather skills and move on to other jobs elsewhere.
Castor said has not looked at Li's now-closed employee file yet. Today at a pre-Sunday service meeting, Castor and staff at the church will discuss how the church could appropriately try to offer some kind of help to him.
"Certainly we're stunned by the event and curious about what circumstances in someone's life would lead them to commit such a serious crime," the soft-spoken Castor said.
In his past experience dealing with people in similar circumstances to Li, he said for the first week, it's likely that Li will only see people he has asked to see. As of Friday, a shaken and physically battered Li was refusing to speak with anyone, including a lawyer.
Li will appear in court again Tuesday, when he may be ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation. Castor said before that happens, it's hard to say how the church might get involved.
"It would be difficult to walk into his personal situation before the psychological evaluation," Castor said.
[email protected]
Breaking News
Greyhound suspect on suicide watch
By: James Turner
Updated: August 4 at 01:36 PM CDT
Vince Li, the 40-year-old Edmonton man charged with second-degree murder in the repeated stabbing and beheading of 22-year-old Winnipegger Tim McLean aboard a Greyhound bus Wednesday, is on suicide watch at the Winnipeg Remand Centre.
Sources said Sunday that Li is being housed in a segregated unit on the 8th floor of the downtown building and is clothed in a special suicide suit.
As of Sunday afternoon, Li still has not spoken a word, and has not seen a doctor. He has nodded 'yes' or 'no' to some questions asked of him, sources said.
When asked if he was suicidal, Li is said to have nodded 'yes.'
Sources said Li is to be watched by a minimum of five correctional officers if he needs to be transported from his cell. He is also to have his handcuffs and shackles thoroughly checked, as it's believed he's a flight risk.
Li is due to appear in court Tuesday, at which time a judge is expected to rule on the Crown's request to order him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Li has refused to speak with a lawyer. He didn't utter a word during Friday's short court hearing, and did not make eye contact with anyone.
In an exclusive interview with the Free Press Saturday, a family friend said she felt Li was troubled, but had refused repeated offers to see a doctor and get help.
The family friend, who works in the mental-health field, said it was obvious Li was struggling.
"He needed help, but he just wouldn't get it," she said.
Li worked for six months as a custodian at the Grant Memorial Baptist Church in Winnipeg and was a member of the congregation.
Pastor Tom Castor said Li, a recent immigrant at the time, seemed happy to have a job and was committed to doing it well.
Castor said Li was quiet, and did not show any sign of anger issues or any other trouble before he quit in the spring of 2005. After this, he's believed to have taken a job as a forklift operator for Midland Foods in Winnipeg while his wife, Anna Li, worked as a waitress.
Castor's congregation is offering support to Li's wife, Anna, who the pastor says is in shock and is very afraid about her future.
The church and its staff are also offering condolences to the family of Tim McLean, the young man Li is accused of beheading in what witnesses called an unprovoked attack with a hunting knife at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday about 20 k.m. east of Portage la Prairie.


Li left Winnipeg and moved to Edmonton where he worked at a McDonalds restaurant and as a newspaper carrier.
Li last delivered newspapers on Monday, according to his boss in Edmonton, Vincent Auger.
On Tuesday, he "fell off the face of the earth," Augert said, which was unlike Li. Augert phoned him and a woman who identified herself as Li's wife called back, saying Li's disappearance wasn't planned.
"She said to me, 'I don't know where he is, he had to leave town, it was an emergency,' " Augert said. Li had told Augert three weeks ago that he had plans to go to Winnipeg for a job interview.
"I believe he was having some marital problems," said Augert, adding that "you could almost read between the lines" from the way Li was talking "that there was something not right there."
However, it's not officially known yet why Li was on the Greyhound headed for Winnipeg Wednesday.
Li has no prior criminal record, according to RCMP.
At a vigil for McLean at the Manitoba legislature Sunday night, McLean's sister told about 200 mourners -- many of them friends and former classmates -- that the public outpouring of sympathy has eased her familys sorrow.
"It's meant a lot to everybody," she said.
Mourners lit candles, hugged and held hands. The event was organized by Doug Mitchell, a friend of McLean.
McLean's family issued a statement Saturday that indicated they wished for privacy and time to grieve their loss. McLean was described by them as a "stubborn soul, yet a kind one."
The 22-year-old grew up in Elie and WInnipeg, his family said. He was on the bus to Winnipeg to see family after working with a carnival in Edmonton.
[email protected]
With files from Mike McIntyre and news services
Man beheads girlfriend, steals police car
August 4, 2008 - 7:27AM
A 31-year-old man killed his girlfriend on the Greek island of Santorini today, beheaded her, then fled in a patrol car, a local official said.
During the ensuing chase, the suspect was shot five times by police and ran over two women doctors who were riding a motorcycle before he was caught, the official said.
The suspect, Athanassios Arvanitis, a cook at a local restaurant, is undergoing surgery at an island hospital, said Chrysanthos Roussos, head of the Santorini district on the island.
Neighbours said Arvanitis beheaded his girlfriend's dog with a butcher knife following a heated argument, then killed and beheaded the woman.
The victim, 25-year-old Adamantia Karkali, worked as a teacher at a local village, Angelos Roussos, the mayor of Thira, the island's main town, was quoted as saying by TV station Antenna. Angelos and Chrysanthos Roussos are not related.
Initially, Arvanitis roamed the village of Vourvoulos exhibiting the woman's head, neighbours said. Townspeople said they locked themselves in their homes and called the police.
When a policeman tried to handcuff him, the suspect knifed the officer and flung the victim's head into a patrol car, Roussos said. The policeman was only slightly injured, police said.
Arvanitis then made off in a second patrol car and ran over the motorcycle before he was caught, Roussos said. One of the two doctors suffered multiple fractures. The other was uninjured.
As the police fired at Arvanitis to stop him, a stray bullet hit a woman bystander, injuring her slightly, police said.
He was dead by the time anyone knew what was going on, and unless you have had any special training in disarming an armed psycho all you'd have done was join the poor guy in the morgue.
Manslaughter?I wonder what the crimes are? Obviously one is manslaughter. Maybe the other one is attempted grand theft auto?That one canadian reporter is at the top of his game.
I would say in a lot of cases the plead for insanity is just a desperate attempt to stay out of jail but in this case the murderer does seem to be insane. He hasn't spoken for days, randomly attacked a man on a bus...beheaded him and cannabalized him. Its such a gruesome attack that you have to wonder if he is mentally well, he needs psychiatric assessment. If he isn't mentally ill then they'll put him in jail...if he is he goes to the asylum. Either way the important thing is he stays out of the streets for the rest of his life.This is the kind of story where fact is stranger than fiction. I feel terrible for that young man who was killed without provocation, and I hope the suspect will not use the plead of insanity to get a lenient sentence. This is just unbelievably cruel and disgusting.
Oh and will the people calling the passengers cowards shut the **** up
They didn't even know what was going on, they fell into shock and couldn't react. The victim was done for by the 3rd swipe at the neck...I don't know about you but I certainly wouldn't risk my life to 'save' someone who is already dead. They did a good job, they locked him into the bus so he wouldn't harm anyone else. There wasn't much they could do, they aren't vigilantes for crying out loud
First-degree murder:
According to the Criminal Code of Canada, a person is charged with this crime if it is "planned and deliberate." That means the crime can't be spur of the moment and has to be premeditated. Murder is also automatically first-degree if the victim is a police officer or someone working in corrections. The penalty for the crime, if convicted, is life imprisonment with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Second-degree murder:
Any murder not first-degree is second-degree. These slayings are not premeditated. If convicted, the penalty is life imprisonment with a judge determining parole from 10 to 25 years. The charge can be reduced to manslaughter if the person committed the offence in the "heat of passion caused by sudden provocation," according to the Criminal Code. There is no minimum penalty for manslaughter and the maximum is life imprisonment.
Li says in court 'please kill me'
Horrific details of homicide aboard bus recounted
By: Mike McIntyre
Updated: August 5 at 06:17 PM CDT
Warning: The following story contains graphic descriptions.
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE Shocking details of the gruesome decapitation slaying aboard a Greyhound bus last week emerged in court here this morning, prompting a judge to order a psychiatric assessment of accused killer Vincent Li.
Greyhound scraps ad campaign after beheading on bus
The 40-year-old man, facing second-degree murder charges, refused to speak to a lawyer or the judge, communicating only through grunts and vigorous 'yes' or 'no' head shakes.
At one point, however, he was overheard to say "Please kill me."
Crown attorney Joyce Dalymn outlined the entire case against Li, who is charged with the unprovoked killing of Tim McLean, 22.
The case has made headlines around the world and produced an outpouring of grief and anger.
Dalmyn went through all of the evidence in an attempt to show why a mental-health evaluation is required to determine if Li is fit to stand trial and whether he can be held criminally responsible.
There was no publication ban.
Dalmyn said Li attacked a sleeping McLean for absolutely no reason, stabbing him as many as 40 times while 36 horrified passengers looked on.
He got McLean on the ground and then sat on top of him, in the aisle of the bus, stabbing away with a large hunting knife, court was told.
A passenger called 911 while the Greyhound driver pulled over at the side of the Trans Canada Highway, allowing all the passengers to flee.
The driver then locked the bus with just Li and a mortally wounded McLean inside.
Police rushed to the scene and surrounded the bus. Officers then watched in horror as Li began carrying around McLean's severed head and appeared to be taunting them with it, court was told.
Li said nothing to police, except telling them at one point "I have to stay on this bus forever", said Dalmyn.
At one point, Li began cutting other body parts off and was even seen to consume some of them, she said.
There were audible gasps in the packed courtroom at this revelation, including from several members of McLeans family.
"He appeared to be focused on his victim. He did not appear to be drunk or high," said Dalmyn.
"This was a completely random attack. There's been no link established (between Li and McLean)."
Police didn't storm the bus, waiting until Li smashed out a window and tossed a bloody knife and scissors towards them.
Li then jumped from the broken window -- cutting his hand on the shards of glass -- and was arrested.
Police searched him and found several severed body parts, including an ear, nose and partial mouth, inside a plastic bag in his pocket, court was told.
Police tried to interview Li but he refused to make verbal responses, Dalmyn said. However, he did mutter that he was "guilty" at least four times, she said.
Court was told this morning that Li's common-law wife claims the man spent four days in a psychiatric ward in Alberta recently. RCMP are trying to confirm the claims.
Li came to Canada back in 2001, living in Winnipeg for nearly five years before leaving his wife and moving to Edmonton, court was told.
He had been exhibiting "bizarre and unusual behaviour" in recent weeks and months, said Dalmyn.
As the Free Press reported this past weekend, a Winnipeg family and several members of the church Li attended tried to convince him to go see a doctor.
They had concerns he was schizophrenic, possible paranoid schizophrenic. Li refused.
Legal Aid assigned lawyer Randy Janis to try and speak with Li this weekend. He told court this morning that Li is refusing to communicate with him.
Li confirmed that he doesn't want a lawyer and doesn't agree with the court-ordered assessment through the shaking of his head.
A Winnipeg psychologist now has 30 days to complete a detailed report on Li, which will determine what the next step in the process is. Their first meeting is set for this Thursday.
Li's case has been adjourned until Sept. 8.
www.mikeoncrime.com
Greyhound scraps ad campaign after beheading on bus
Updated: August 5 at 02:29 PM CDT
Greyhound has scrapped an ad campaign that extolled the peaceful, worry-free upside of bus travel following the beheading of a passenger near Winnipeg.
The punch line of the ad was "There's a reason you've never heard of 'bus rage."'
Greyhound spokeswoman Abby Wambaugh says the company feels the ad, launched last year, could be offensive and that it is no longer appropriate.
She says the campaign was officially over before Tim McLean was beheaded last Wednesday, but that some ads are still up.
Wambaugh says Greyhound wants them to be removed as quickly as possible.
Vince Weiguang Li, 40, is charged with second-degree in connection with the attack, which has attracted international attention.
--The Canadian Press