Two separate daylight shootings in the span of two days in April 2022. Two terrifying, random slayings of strangers on Toronto streets.
Now, more than three years later, theadmitted shooter Richard Jonathan Edwin has pleaded not guilty to murder and instead isasking a court to find him not criminally responsible due to schizophrenia, a mental illness he was first diagnosed with in 2010 when he was 28 years old.
According to testimony by Dr. Stephanie Penney, a forensic psychologist called by his lawyers, Edwin said he hadn’t been taking his anti-psychotic medication for years, but had no symptoms until right before the shootings, which she called “atypical” and a “rather abrupt re-emergence of symptoms.”
She testified it was more likely that he was symptomatic, but it hadn’t come to the attention of mental-health professionals.
Duelling psychiatrists are expected to testify in the coming weeks before Superior Court Justice Jane Kelly with opposing views on whether the killer had the mental capacity at the time to know that what he was doing was morally wrong.
CHILLING FOOTAGE
What isn’t in doubt is the compilation of videos featuring the heartless executions is absolutely chilling.
Edwin, 39 at the time, is captured on surveillance video on the late afternoon of April 7, 2022, heading to the Bloor/Spadina subway entrance wearing a grey tuque, a navy puffer jacket, grey shirt and faded blue jeans. He’s carrying a grey backpack — and a hidden, loaded black handgun, court was told.
He leaves his apartment on Spadina Ave. and rides the subway to Sherbourne Station. It’s just before 5 p.m.
Kartik Vasudev was a 21-year-old international studentat Seneca College on his way to work. He can be seen walking north on the Glen Rd. sidewalk past Sherbourne Station and toward the staircase to Bloor St.
Edwin walks in Vasudev’s direction and then rushes past him. Edwin then suddenly turns around to face Vasudev’s back, draws a loaded firearm and fires multiple times.
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‘FIRES MORE SHOTS’
That was cruel enough. What followed is pure horror.
“Mr. Edwin turns around, stops and faces Mr. Vasudev, who is lying injured at the base of the Bloor St. staircase,” according to the agreed statement of facts. “Mr. Edwin raises his arms and fires more shots in Mr. Vasudev’s direction.”
Edwin then removes his jacket and tuque and calmly boards a bus to Wellesley Station. He then takes the subway back to Spadina — and gives a busker some money along the way.
Vasudev died from six gunshot wounds, including wounds to his liver, lung, neck, bowel and leg.
Two days later, Edwin is seen boarding a Spadina subway train just after 6 p.m. He’s wearing a grey tuque, blue mask, grey-patterned shirt and jeans. He also has a loaded black handgun concealed in his waistband, according to the statement.
Edwin gets off at Queen and eventually walks west on Dundas St.Meanwhile, Elijah Mahepath,35, comes off a TTC bus and also heads west on Dundas, slightly behind Edwin. Mahepath then passes Edwin as an ambulance rushes by.
“At 18:58:56, when the ambulance rushed by, Mr. Edwin ran and reached into the left side of his pants under his grey-patterned dress shirt. He withdrew a gun from his left waist band and raised it with both hands,” the agreed statement said.
“Using both hands, Mr. Edwin fired the gun towards the back of the unsuspecting Mr. Mahepath. Mr. Edwin shot Mr. Mahepath multiple times. Mr. Mahepath fell to the ground. Mr. Edwin continued to shoot Mr. Mahepath after he had fallen to the ground.”
LEGAL FIREARMS RECOVERED
Mahepath died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Edwin jogs away from the scene and as he heads south on Jarvis, he takes off his tuque, removes his grey-patterned shirt and stuffs it into a grocery bag he is carrying. He’s now wearing a brown top and a different mask as heads home.
According to the agreed statement, Edwin was under police surveillance and that evening was seen disposing a grocery bag in garbage bins. Investigators found his discarded puffer jacket and knapsack worn during the first shooting and inside the bags were the clothes he’d worn during both.
While in his home, they found five legal firearms — including the 9mm Luger-calibre Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistol used in the random killings.
How someone with a serious mental illness was allowed any gun is a question for another day. The trial continues.
