Man ruled not criminally responsible for killing dad because of mental state

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – A 19-year-old Kamloops, B.C., man who said the devil ordered him to kill his father has been found not criminally responsible for the death because of a mental disorder.

A B.C. Supreme Court judge made the ruling Thursday in the case of Joshua Isaac Steel, who used a fireplace tool to beat Phil Steel to death in September of 2011.

The ruling came after the court heard from a psychiatrist who gave details of Steel’s mental state, including that he was in and out of hospital in February of 2011 and had become unresponsive in the days preceding the death.

Family members outside the court complained that Josh didn’t get the treatment he really needed and medical officials kept sending him home.

Speaking through sobs, Josh’s mother Amy said no one wanted to listen to the family’s calls for help.

Steel, who is now on medication for schizophrenia and depression, will return to the forensic psychiatric hospital in Port Coquitlam for treatment. (CFJC,CHNL)