Voices told him to stab sibling

Casey Nargyak, 19, of Gjoa Haven is not criminally responsible for the aggravated assault he unleashed on his older brother because of his mental disorder, Justice Beverley Browne ruled last week.

Browne’s finding was based on a recent psychiatric assessment. Discussion of the assessment in court did not disclose Nargyak’s specific diagnosis.

Nargyak stabbed his sleeping brother with a kitchen knife on March 23. The man survived the attack.

Nargyak heard voices the night he attacked his sibling, the court heard. He believed spirits had overtaken his brother and that the spirits wanted to hurt him.

The Nunavut Review Board – made up of a psychiatrist, a mental health worker and medical doctor – will determine which psychiatric hospital Nargyak will be sent to. The Ontario-based team is scheduled to hold a hearing in the next two months.

Review boards typically meet within 45 days of a person being deemed not criminally responsible.

“It may take longer,” Browne speculated.

In the meantime, Nargyak is being held at BCC awaiting the board’s recommendation, said lawyer Andy Mahar.