Washington - The Chinese immigrant who brutally stabbed, beheaded and then ate the flesh of his seatmate on a Greyhound Canada bus last week has asked to be killed, news reports said Wednesday. "Please kill me," were the only words uttered by Vincent Li, 40, in a courtroom in Portage La Prairie, the Winnipeg Free Press reported.
Canada abolished capital punishment on July 14, 1976, according to Amnesty International. It was replaced with a mandatory life sentence, without the possibility of parole for 25 years, for all first-degree murders.
The court has ordered a forensic psychological assessment to determine whether Li is fit to stand trial for the unprovoked murder of Tim McLean, 22, on a bus traveling along the Trans-Canada highway from Edmonton to Winnipeg.
Even if found fit to stand trial, it will have to be determined whether Li is criminally responsible for his actions.
Li stabbed McLean with a large hunting knife at least 40 times, as 36 passengers watched. The driver pulled over to allow the others to disembark, and they stood on the highway watching the grisly murder unfold as they waited for police to arrive.
According to witnesses, Li beheaded McLean and walked to the front of the bus holding the head. Police had by then surrounded the bus, but chose not to storm it. They waited until Li shattered a window, threw out a knife and scissors and then jumped out.
As police and passengers watched, Li proceeded to cut off parts of the body and even eat some. When they finally apprehended him, he carried a severed ear and nose inside a plastic bag in his pocket.
Li, a Wal-Mart employee who delivered newspapers and flyers, came to Canada in 2001. He moved from Winnipeg to Edmonton after separating from his wife Anna.
He had been exhibiting "bizarre and unusual behaviour" in recent weeks, the Winnipeg Free Press quoted attorney Joyce Dalmyn as saying, including taking spontaneous bus trips to various Canadian cities for no apparent reason.
Li's next court appearance is scheduled for September 8.
