OttawaA man has been found not criminally responsible due to his mental disorder for killing an Amnesty International worker and volunteer who had been helping him settle in Ottawa in 2023.Unable to find accused NCR in July, judge asked to hear more evidenceKristy Nease · CBC · Posted: Dec 05, 2025 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 30 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.William Bryant, 74, was found dead on May 9, 2023, in the stairwell of an apartment building where his killer, 49-year-old Ahmed Ismail, was living. Ismail has been found not criminally responsible due to his mental disorder and is now under the supervision of the Ontario Review Board. (Submitted by Amnesty International)A man has been found not criminally responsible due to his mental disorder for killing an Amnesty International worker and volunteer who had been helping him settle in Ottawa in 2023.Superior Court Justice Anne London-Weinstein issued her decision last week. London-Weinstein told court that Ahmed Ismail, 46, suffers from schizophrenia, resulting in psychosis and paranoid delusions. She ruled Ismail was not criminally responsible (NCR) at the time of the killing because his mental illness rendered him incapable of knowing his actions were wrong.William Bryant, 74, was found dead in the stairwell of Ismail’s apartment building on May 9, 2023. Ismail was charged with second-degree murder. Defence lawyer Richard Addelman initially applied for an NCR ruling, and assistant Crown prosecutor Marie Dufort later joined in.Friends remember slain Ottawa man as dedicated, compassionate humanitarianMan charged with 2nd degree murder in stabbing of 74-year-oldLast week’s ruling came after the judge made a rare request of counsel in July to expand on and clarify some evidence in the case. At the time, London-Weinstein said there were still “too many unanswered questions” about the relationship between Bryant and Ismail, about whether Ismail might have known what he did was wrong, and about whether he might have had a motive.Court heard last week that the relationship between Bryant and Ismail was friendly, nothing more, and that the judge had been furnished with copies of mental health assessments that alleviated her concern that a second assessment may have been “rushed.”An Ottawa police cruiser parked at the scene on Carousel Crescent in May 2023. (Radio-Canada)A family of pacifistsVictim impact statement were also heard in court last week. The victim’s twin brother Ted Bryant, who lives in Australia, said they “had a bond only twins can truly understand,” and said he struggles to understand how such violence could have happened “to such a gentle, kind and lovable person.”The Bryant family has been pacifist dating back generations to the Napoleonic wars and “instinctively avoided conflict,” Ted Bryant said. I am truly puzzled that this quiet, gentle man was able to provoke anger so great that he was viciously attacked…- Diane Bryant, William Bryant’s sister-in-law”Will wouldn’t hurt a fly,” Ted Bryant said, adding that he found his brother’s killing “inconceivable.”Ted Byrant’s wife Diane Bryant said she’s “truly puzzled that this quiet, gentle man was able to provoke anger so great that he was viciously attacked and subsequently stabbed and murdered. I cannot imagine or let myself think of how frightened he must have been, how much pain he must have suffered, and how desperate he must have been to get away.”How can we be sure that you won’t hurt anybody else?” she asked Ismail via video link from Australia. “How can anybody be sure they’re safe around you?”The Crown also read a statement from Alex Neve, who worked with William Bryant for decades at Amnesty International. Neve said Bryant was Amnesty’s first staff member in Canada, and that thousands of members, volunteers and staff came to know him.”In losing Will the world has lost one more individual whose daily actions were guided by empathy. These are attributes so needed in our polarized world today, and therefore the impact … is immeasurable, and so is the deep void he leaves behind.”London-Weinstein ended the proceeding by thanking counsel for augmenting the evidentiary record, enabling her to make the NCR ruling with confidence. She said the “time we live in” makes it important for the court’s reasons and records to be “absolutely clear” for any member of the public to understand.Ismail is now under the supervision of the Ontario Review Board, which will meet annually to make decisions about his treatment and freedoms.ABOUT THE AUTHORCBC Ottawa senior writer Kristy Nease has covered news in the capital for 16 years, and previously worked at the Ottawa Citizen. She has handled topics including intimate partner violence, climate and health care, and is currently focused on the courts and judicial affairs for all platforms. Get in touch: kristy.nease@cbc.ca, or 613-288-6435. Worried? Try kristyneasecbc@proton.me instead.Selected stories.Follow her on X.
Man who killed Amnesty International worker found not criminally responsible
