Minassian’s ‘autistic way of thinking’ similar to psychosis, murder trial hears

TORONTO — A psychiatrist hired by defence lawyers for the man behind Toronto’s 2018 van attack found Alek Minassian had an “autistic way of thinking” that was severely distorted, a court heard Thursday.

In the first glimpse of evidence Minassian’s lawyers may present at his murder trial, court heard that a doctor who interviewed the 28-year-old found he was not psychotic but had a thought process similar to psy- chosis.

Minassian has admitted in court to planning and carrying out the April 23, 2018 attack in which he drove a van down a busy Toronto sidewalk, killing 10 people and injuring 16 others.

He pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder, and has asked to be found not criminally responsi- ble for his actions.

His defence team has yet to lay out what mental disorder Minassian had at the time

But Crown lawyer Joe Callaghan provided insight into some of the evidence Minassian’s defence might raise by reading from a report prepared by a psychiatrist hired by the defence. The Crown is seeking access to the full video and audio of that psychiatrist’s interview with Minassian, as well as those conducted by other doctors.

“Overall it was our impression that despite the fact he was not psychotic, his autistic way of thinking was severely distorted similar to psychosis,” the report read.

Minassian denied he had symptoms consistent with psychotic illness, including visual and auditory hallucinations, the report noted.