Nanaimo man charged with randomly killing senior wants to represent himself in court
A Nanaimo, B.C., man charged with killing a beloved senior has told a judge he either wants to represent himself in court or have a very specific lawyer appointed to him.
James Carey Turok, 29, has been charged with second degree murder in connection with the random killing of a well-known Nanaimo coffee shop employee.
Police were called to Buzz Coffee House near the intersection of Rutherford Road and the Island Highway on the morning of Feb. 12.
Officers found Eric Kutzner, 79, dead inside the shop. They also found another man inside and arrested him immediately.
Before a Nanaimo judge Wednesday morning, Turok told the court he wanted to dismiss the lawyer appointed to him.
He said he either wanted to represent himself, or have an Indigenous female lawyer appointed to him.
The judge told him that was a very specific request and recommended he connect with legal aid to start his search.
Sounding confused via a video call from the Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre, Turok also said he didn’t know where he was or what he’d been charged with.
The 29-year-old also told the court he wanted to be charged with high treason.
After calming the accused down, the judge explained what Turok had been charged with, where he was, and how serious the offense is.
Turok’s outgoing lawyer said he would recommend a mental fitness assessment to the court if he was still involved.
At this point in proceedings the judge was pushing to simply get Turok a bail hearing as soon as possible and didn’t address any mental health issues.
Crown counsellors also asked the judge for more time to assess disclosure documents that had just been released to them by Nanaimo RCMP investigators.
The judge agreed to push Turok’s proceedings until Feb. 28.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.