Court is hearing that a man who stabbed a professor and two students in a University of Waterloo gender studies class last year may have experienced a psychotic break in the weeks before the attack.
A psychologist who recently assessed Geovanny Villalba-Aleman is testifying today at his sentencing hearing.
Smita Vir Tyagi says Villalba-Aleman described his state of mind in the spring of 2023 as marked by intense depression and possibly mania, as well as disorganized thinking.
She says he reported not sleeping well, living without meaningful social contact after the school term ended and filling his time with "hours and hours on the internet" with no one around to challenge his ideas.
Villalba-Aleman has pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault, one count of assault with a weapon and one count of assault causing bodily harm in the June 2023 attack that wounded three people.
Federal prosecutors have said they are seeking a sentence of 16 years for the offences, which they argue constitute terrorist activity in this case.
Federal prosecutor Althea Francis says a sentence in the upper range is appropriate not only because Geovanny Villalba-Aleman wanted to send a message about his views, but also because he sought to make those with different beliefs feel unsafe.
"He chose his target to highlight that ... peaceful discourse at a university, at an institution of higher learning, was not safe, that it should be a place of insecurity, a place one should hesitate to attend because of the possibility of such violence," she said.
Francis also suggested Villalba-Aleman's prospects for rehabilitation are "questionable" because, while he has taken responsibility for his actions, "his ideological views remain the same."
Ontario Court Justice Frances Brennan noted Villalba-Aleman is entitled to his beliefs.
"The court here is not to sentence his views," the judge said. "I am here to sentence his conduct and I am here to assess the risk he poses to the community."
On Tuesday, the federal Crown argued that Villalba-Aleman's statement to police, and a manifesto that was found on his phone, show his actions were motivated by ideology and meant to intimidate a segment of the population.
A video of his statement to police was shown in court earlier in the sentencing hearing, which began Monday and is expected to continue all week.
In the video, Villalba-Aleman told police he felt colleges and universities were imposing ideology and restricting academic freedom, and he wanted the attack to serve as a "wake-up call."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press
