Judge to appoint lawyer for stabbing suspect
By Shurtz, Delon on May 9, 2020.
Delon Shurtz
lethbridge herald
A judge is going to appoint a lawyer for a man accused of stabbing another person in the head during a random attack last weekend near Cardston.
Judge Jerry LeGrandeur decided Friday to appoint the lawyer for Josh Lee Goodrider after the accused appeared in court for the third time without anyone to help him. Goodrider, who rejected any assistance from duty counsel during a court appearance Wednesday, was expected to have a lawyer Friday, but appeared unsure of how to get help.
The accused, who was calm during his appearance via closed-circuit TV from the Lethbridge Correctional Centre, spoke gibberish and made random comments about being immune and three brothers spreading germs.
Goodrider, 25, is accused of breaking into a Cardston-area home about 5:30 a.m. May 2 and stabbing a resident in the head and chest while he was sleeping
Court was told during Wednesday’s court appearance the victim ran to his truck and drove to the end of his driveway, where he stopped and called 911. He was taken to the Cardston Hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
When police arrived at the property, the assailant was still inside the home and told police the world was ending, the sun is expanding and the planets are going to be destroyed. He accused the victim of killing his people, and claimed he was only trying to help because people keep slaughtering each other.
He told police he was in the First World War and had been killed many times, that time travel is real, and ghosts were trying to get in the victim’s home and he wanted to stop them.
Goodrider initially rejected the judge’s recommendation he seek medical help, but Friday agreed to have a psychological assessment, even though he didn’t think it was necessary.
“My mind seems clear and perfectly fine at this moment,” he said.
The Crown recommended Goodrider be assessed under Section 672 of the Criminal Code to determine whether he is unfit to stand trial, and if he was, at the time of the commission of the alleged offence, suffering from a mental disorder that could exempt him from criminal responsibility.
LeGrandeur wants the accused to speak with a lawyer before he considers granting the assessment, and he adjourned the matter until next Thursday.
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