Court hears man who killed senior thought he was his landlord
Defendant who pushed stranger in subway cites mental illness
Moments after pushing a stranger in front of a subway at the Bloor-Yonge TTC station, John Reszetnik approached a fire truck, leaned in and said: “I am the one that pushed him,” and then added: “mental illness.”
Asked by a firefighter why he did it, Reszetnik responded: “I thought it was my landlord. He evicted me.”
On Jan. 11, Reszetnik pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, admitting he pushed Yosuke Hayahara, 73, into the path of an oncoming train. What his plea didn’t reveal that day was why. On Thursday during a Zoom hearing, Crown attorney Sean Doyle read “additional” facts that outlined what happened on June 18, 2018.
At 10:07 a.m., Reszetnik entered the Line 2 platform of Bloor-Yonge subway and focused his attention on Hayahara, who was sitting on a bench in the middle of the platform, Doyle said.
After about 30 seconds, Hayahara got up to board the incoming eastbound subway. Reszetnik positioned himself directly behind Hayahara and shoved him at approximately 10:14 a.m.
Reszetnik then lingered on the platform and watched emergency personnel arrive before exiting the station. After walking to a McDonald’s, Reszetnik tried to re-enter the station, Doyle said.
The station was locked down, so Reszetnik approached a fire truck, leaned into the open passenger side window and confessed to the firefighter, who asked why he did it. After Reszetnik told him he thought it was his landlord.
Const. Diana Croll arrested Reszetnik for aggravated assaulted and told him he was not obliged to say anything. But he continued to talk sitting in the back seat of her cruiser.
“I murdered him. What are you doing? It’s not assault, it’s murder.”
He added later, “I freaked out. I imagined my landlord, who — he’s evicting me, and I can’t find a place and I’ll be homeless. I really did it.
“It’s no joke. I killed him for God’s sakes.”
A short time later, Croll was advised that Hayahara had died and told Reszetnik he was under arrest for murder.
Reszetnik on Thursday participated in the proceedings from the video room at the Toronto South Detention Centre. Asked by his lawyer, Elizabeth Gaudet, if the additional facts were true, he confirmed they were.
Crown attorney Emma Haydon said prosecutors might ask Superior Court Justice John McMahon to order a psychiatric assessment before sentencing, set for March 23.
Gaudet told court her client has indicated he might not consent to the assessment and that she will encourage him to share details about his mental state. She noted a psychiatric report filed with the court late in December found that he suffers from major depression, general anxiety and social anxiety.
Reszetnik’s plea to second-degree murder carries an automatic sentence of life in prison. His parole eligibility can run between 10 and 25 years.