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This article was published 31/1/2017 (1327 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The mentally ill man found not criminally responsible for a 2008 killing on board a Greyhound bus in Manitoba is seeking to be freed from further involvement with the Criminal Code Review Board, according to the victim’s family.

Vince Li — who has legally changed his name to Will Baker — will appear before a panel next Monday as part of his annual review. Carol de Delley, the mother of victim Tim McLean, said justice officials recently informed her about what to expect.

JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Vince Li is pictured at a court appearance in a Portage La Prairie, Man. August 5, 2008.

"He’s seeking an absolute discharge," de Delley told the Free Press on Monday. "I’m strongly opposed. He may be a little better now but I believe wellness for him is tentative at best and I don’t think the mental health system is anywhere close to adequate to manage these killers."

Baker has been given increased freedoms over the years — escorted passes out of the Selkirk Mental Health Centre, unescorted absences, a move to a secure facility in Winnipeg and most recently a transition to independent, community-based living in a supervised group home in the city.

There have been no reports of any setbacks and his medical team has repeatedly stressed Baker’s schizophrenia is under control provided he remains medicated.

Under the Criminal Code, an absolute discharge would see an "accused released from further involvement with the system for the specific offence that led to the not criminally responsible by reason of a mental disorder verdict."

"I’m thinking an absolute discharge absolves the ‘system’ of any responsibility, especially financially, for these offenders, who are now referred to as clients," de Delley said.

"Will Baker has not acknowledged the cannibalism aspect of the index offence, which makes me question just how much insight into his illness does he really have? He may be a little better now, but Timothy is very much still dead."

Crown attorney Mary Goska is opposed to what Baker is seeking, according to de Delley. Goska did not return a request for comment on Monday.

John Woods / The Canadian Press Carol deDelley, mother of Tim McLean talks to reporters outside the Law Courts in Winnipeg Tuesday, March 3, 2009, after the first day of the trial of Vince Li, charged with second-degree murder in the beheading of McLean on a Greyhound bus last summer.

Baker has had the ability to move freely around Winnipeg for the past year, provided his supervisors knew of his plans and approved them. He was a frequent visitor at the downtown YMCA-YWCA last summer and fall and was often observed by a Free Press reporter quietly working out on various machines without interruption.

However, Baker stopped attending the facility a few months ago. Some members have told the Free Press they believe word got out about Baker’s membership and there were objections voiced, either directly towards him or his treatment team. A spokeswoman for the YMCA-YWCA has not returned repeated calls seeking comment.

Defence lawyer Alan Libman said he hasn’t heard any specific issues people had with his client. And de Delley said she wasn’t aware of his attendance at the gym.

Baker has declined invitations to speak with a Free Press reporter about his case and his rehabilitation.

Dr. Steven Kremer has previously told Review Board hearings how Baker wishes to attend community college in Winnipeg to build on a computer-sciences degree he has from China. Kremer said Baker is always polite with staff and other patients, has shown "no evidence of any manipulative behaviour" and has demonstrated insight into his actions, including "feelings of regret and remorse."

Baker has been described as a "model patient" who no longer suffers from the type of issues that triggered the July 2008 attack near Portage la Prairie. He was found not criminally responsible for the killing, dismemberment and cannibalization of McLean, 22, after several medical experts said he was suffering from command hallucinations linked to untreated schizophrenia at the time of the unprovoked attack.

McLean’s family have been vocal critics of Baker’s relaxed freedoms and have pushed for tougher federal legislation, suggesting mentally ill killers should be held indefinitely in a hospital.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca