Beheading monster to be given greater freedom
Four years ago, a sick man, Vince Li, took the life of an innocent fellow passenger on a greyhound bus. It was one of the most gruesome cases to ever take place in Manitoba as the victim, 22-year-old Tim McLean, was stabbed, beheaded and cannibalized. Read here.
The sheer shock value of the crime was enough to warrant the public and even myself, to call for revenge of kind. Li was found not criminally responsible for the murder due to insanity and was placed in a psychiatric institution, much to the chagrin of many.
To add insult to injury, Li, who according to his doctors, has been responding very well to his medications, is being recommended for greater freedom. This basically means that he would allowed to go on escorted walks. (A police would be present). Click here for full story.
The public say nay but I say yay. Why not? Li has done something bad, very bad. Something most of us would never wish to have done to anyone we remotely know. The evilness of it makes us crave revenge and revenge only, but Li did it because he was sick and needed help. He had no hate for his victim. He was driven to do what he did because of a wiring problem in his brain. Should he be made to pay for the rest of his life? No matter how much he suffers, the fate of Tim McLean would be the same.
Mental illness is serious and it is real. There are potential Vince Li’s walking among us. It could be me and it could be you. I would hate to lose my life as I know it for a crime I have no recollection of committing. Wouldn’t you? As bad as this may sound, if the killing of Tim helped Li to get the treatment he needed and maybe thus saving him from killing more people, then he did not die in vain.
Maybe I am a little sick to see it that way but it’s my take, popular or not.
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
