ManitobaA Manitoba man who killed his parents during a psychotic episode in 2021 is now waiting to hear whether a judge will lift a label restricting his release. Trevor Farley got rare designation after judge ruled he was not criminally responsible due to mental disorderArturo Chang · CBC News · Posted: Nov 03, 2025 8:19 PM EST | Last Updated: 5 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesTrevor Robert Farley, 39, has pleaded not criminally responsible in the deaths of his mother and father, and in the attempted murder of his former nursing supervisor at Seven Oaks Hospital. (Submitted)A Manitoba man who killed his parents during a psychotic episode is now waiting to hear whether a judge will lift a label restricting his release.Trevor Farley was found not criminally responsible due to mental disorder in the killing of his parents, Stuart Farley and Judy Swain, and the stabbing of his former supervisor at Seven Oaks General Hospital in the space of a few hours on Oct. 27, 2021.Court heard in 2023 the man was experiencing religious delusions at the time.Justice Ken Champagne granted the Crown’s request to designate Farley a “high-risk accused” — a rare designation that requires the man to be in hospital, and allows him to be conditionally or absolutely discharged only if approved by a superior court judge. Crown prosecutor Shannon Benevides said Farley is the only person to ever get the designation, and that the issue has not been litigated before. This week, Champagne will be hearing arguments to see whether the designation should be revoked.Candyce Szkwarek said she will provide the court with a victim impact statement later this week. Farley stabbed Szkwarek multiple times at Seven Oaks after he killed his parents at their homes.’Not a day goes by when I don’t think about what happened’Szwarek, who was in court with her family Monday, said it’s too soon to consider whether to revoke the designation.”I’m terrified at the thought, you know, that he would be out.” she said. “It’s been hard. I mean, it’s not a day goes by when I don’t think about what happened and the whole last four years, it’s very much a part of my life.”Candyce Szkwarek in a file photo from 2023. Trevor Farley stabbed Szkwarek several times during a psychotic episode. (CBC)On Monday, court heard from Dr. Skye Rousseau, a former Manitoba forensic psychiatrist who assessed Farley and co-wrote a report on him for the court.Rousseau diagnosed Farley with bipolar disorder with psychotic features. He said the man presented unlike most people who have mania, which the prosecution argued may make it hard for it to be detected in the future.The night before the killings, Farley checked himself into the Health Sciences Centre’s Crisis response centre and was issued an involuntary admission, but was able to leave on his own. Before he drove to stab Szwarek, he sought treatment at the St. Boniface Hospital emergency room and the crisis centre.Rousseau told prosecutors it would be hard to predict when Farley could have another psychotic episode because he didn’t have a previous history that would show a pattern.He said people with that diagnosis have at most about two episodes a year, but some could go on for more than a decade unmedicated without having one. But the psychiatrist said during cross-examination he had only seen Farley one time for the assessment, and wasn’t aware of his current condition.He told Farley’s lawyer, Carley Mahoney, the antidepressants the man was taking could have made the symptoms worse, and the fact he took the unusual step to seek out treatment was more reassuring than not.Farley, who agreed to come to court in handcuffs, wiped away tears as Mahoney and Rousseau discussed his delusions before the killings.Benevides said she’s expecting witnesses involved in Farley’s diagnosis and treatment through the hearings.WATCH | Hearings begin on ‘high-risk’ designation for Winnipegger who killed parents :Hearings begin on whether court should remove ‘high-risk’ designation for Winnipegger who killed parentsTrevor Farley killed his parents and stabbed his former supervisor during a psychotic episode. A judge ruled he was not criminally responsible, but gave him a rare designation restricting his release.ABOUT THE AUTHORArturo Chang is a reporter with CBC Manitoba. Before that, he worked for CBC P.E.I. and BNN Bloomberg. You can reach him at arturo.chang@cbc.ca.
Winnipeg court hears from psychiatrist as it weighs lifting ‘high-risk’ designation for man who killed parents
