Son found guilty in hatchet slaying of his mother
BRANDON — A Brandon man has been found guilty of killing his 71-year-old mother with a hatchet in the fall of 2023 after his lawyers argued he should be held […]
Brandon man Gabriel Heymans has been found guilty of killing his 71-year-old mother with a hatchet in the fall of 2023, according to court proceedings. Heymans, who argued he should be held not criminally responsible, was convicted of second-degree murder on Monday by Court of King’s Bench Justice Elliot Leven. The accused, who lived with his mother for seven years, had not spoken to her for over a year before her death.
An autopsy revealed that Maureen Heymans sustained five chop wounds on her head and several cuts on her arm and fingers. Heymans claimed an unknown attacker had entered their apartment and attacked his mother, but surveillance footage showed her alive until Oct. 24, 2023. Police made eye contact with Heymans before arresting him.
Despite a traumatic brain injury in 1998, a forensic psychiatrist ruled Heymans fit to stand trial and ineligible for a not criminally responsible defence.
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