Summary of Case Facts
In May 2012, a Chinese student known as Jun Lin was stabbed and killed by Luka Magnotta. Magnotta dismembered Lin and sent the victim's hands and feet via mail to elementary schools and political party offices. A video showcasing the murder was posted online, and Magnotta fled to France. A month later, he was arrested in Germany and taken back to Canada to face the law. In the same month, he appeared to court via video link to issue a not-guilty plea to all charges. According to Magnotta, he lacked full responsibility due to the mental disorders he had. Later, he appeared physically at a Montreal courtroom to ask for a trial by jury. The preliminary hearing of the case started in March 2013. The court heard the testimonies of expert witnesses, including a pathologist, toxicologist, data recovery professional, odontologist, and bloodstain analyst. In April 2013, he was charged with first-degree murder, sending obscene material, supplying indignities to the human body, and criminal harassment ("Timeline," 2016). His trial began in September 2014 and was overseen by a Quebec Superior Court judge for ten weeks. Even though six tools were obtained outside Magnotta's premises, none of them could be definitively linked to the murder of Lin. During Magnotta's trial, the defense argued that the defendant was in a psychotic state and, as a result, could not be held accountable for his actions. On the other hand, the prosecution argued that Lin's murder was premeditated and that the defendant was purposeful and accountable for his actions. On December 23, 2014, the defendant was found guilty on all five charges. He was sentenced to jail for twenty-five years without a chance of parole.
The case of Luka Magnotta is an excellent example of how the Canadian criminal justice system works. In the Canadian legal framework, the accused is regarded as innocent until they are proven guilty by the crown prosecution (Walker & Campbell, 2012) . In Magnotta’s criminal case, he was considered innocent until the Crown prosecution received a guilty response from the jury. The murder of Lin was an indictable offense, and during the preliminary hearing, the important facts and details of the murder were highlighted as per Canadian criminal justice law. According to the country’s justice system, a preliminary hearing is normally held before a trial. Its purpose is not to determine the guilt or innocence of the defendant but whether there is adequate evidence to go ahead with the trial. During the hearing, the crown prosecution is allowed to call witnesses to persuade the judge that there is adequate evidence against the defendant to warrant a trial (Sheehy, 2012) . The crown prosecution in Magnotta’s case called various expert witnesses to testify and displayed video evidence. In most instances, during the hearing, the judge will find that there is adequate evidence to proceed with the specified charges. In Magnotta’s case, the judge found that there was sufficient evidence to proceed with the five charges against the defendant. In the Canadian criminal justice framework, jury trials are typically conducted in the most serious cases. Magnotta’s case was serious since it involved various crimes, including murder. As a general rule, any individual charged with a crime with a penalty of five or more years in prison has the right to decide if their case will be heard by a judge only or both a judge and a jury. On June 21, Magnotta appeared physically in a courtroom in Montreal to ask for both a judge and a jury to hear his case.
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First Perspective
The first perspective is from a victims’ standpoint and the trauma felt by victims. In his article, Amy Minsky illustrates the views of Lin's family, the victims, to explain the case. According to Minsky (2014), after the jury announced the guilty verdict, the lawyer representing the victim’s family requested a short recess for the father to communicate with his family back in China. Lin's sister and mother, who stayed in China for the entire trial period, waited for the verdict, and Lin's father delivered it to them. Lin's father was at the courthouse for each day of the testimony, in addition to the deliberations by the jury. The victim’s standpoint is also highlighted by the reading of the victim impact statement by Lin's father in court. According to the article's author, Jun Lin's father read an emotional statement to the entire court. In his statement, Lin's father indicated that in a single night, they lost a lifetime of hope, their futures, and parts of their past through the death of Jun Lin. He also indicated that he did not want to tell their story as a family since it is too sad to repeat. According to Lin's father, they could not talk much about Lin Jun without mentioning his murder. Lin's father also indicated that the murder robbed them of not only Lin Jun but their ability to think and speak about him without the feeling of pain and shame. Evidently, Minsky (2014), in her article, highlights the pain and trauma suffered by Lin Jun's family following the acts of Luka Magnotta. According to the author, the Lin family lawyer mentioned that Magnotta missed his opening to express his remorse or offer an apology for killing Lin. The opportunity for expressing remorse made Lin's father live in Canada during the trial. The lawyer highlighted that the verdict did not give Lin's father closure nor pleasure. The verdict could not bring his son back. According to the author, Lin's father was unable to hold his tears back, indicating that he was suffering even after a guilty verdict had been issued. Lin's father demonstrated compassion and asked the lawyer to inform the reporters that he held no grudge against Magnotta's father. As per the author, Lin's father did not blame Magnotta's father and respected his decision to testify. Overall, the article’s author highlights Luka Magnotta's case from the perspective of the victim's family, especially Lin's father. In this perspective, there is no remorse for Luka Magnotta due to the suffering he caused Lin’s family.
Alternative Perspective
The alternative perspective opposes the first perspective and shows sympathy for Luka Magnotta rather than Lin’s family. This perspective emphasizes that we should feel sorry for Luka Magnotta for the situation that he found himself in. Luka Magnotta should be pitied rather than condemned due to the effects of his negative childhood experiences. According to Montgomery (2014), Magnotta told a psychiatrist that he had been sexually assaulted by his male cousin a number of times when he was fourteen years old. Magnotta suffered from the ordeal and experienced the fear of being abandoned and being cheated on. According to the author, all Magnotta wanted was one person to care for him and to love him. Magnotta's life was a sad one characterized by instability, paranoia, and an unending search for love. Magnotta was shy, withdrawn, and awkward while growing up. He was constantly bullied by his younger brother, who called him a "faggot." According to the author, Magnotta had a difficult childhood, and, as a result, people should feel sorry for him for the negative experiences he went through. He cannot be blamed for his action due to his difficult childhood. Onate (2020) also highlights that Magnotta was a victim of abuse and trauma at the hands of his family members. Magnotta was not given the attention that a child required and was exposed to homophobia, emotional torture, and psychological abuse. In this respect, we should feel sorry for him and should not blame him for the crime he committed.
The perspective from the defendant's standpoint, specifically his mental illness, can also explain the case. According to D’Aliesio (2013), Magnotta was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was young, and, as a result, he had mental health problems at the time he committed the murder. Magnotta was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia when he was a teenager, and he had been to the hospital numerous times for the treatment of the disorder, a lifelong illness. Daly (2014) also highlights that Luka Magnotta had histrionic personality disorder. The mental condition makes people highly uncomfortable if they are ignored. Magnotta was not given sufficient attention, and this scenario may have pushed him to engage in his murderous act. In this case, Magnotta should not be blamed for his crime.
It is essential to consider the alternative perspective to determine whether mental illness and childhood experiences have a role to play in predicting whether an individual will engage in crime. The alternative perspective in Luka Magnotta's case indicates that childhood experiences and mental illness may explain why the defendant killed Lin. If society had taken Magnotta's childhood experiences and mental illness seriously, the crime might have been prevented. It is important to consider the alternative perspective due to the presence of red flags from a defendant's standpoint. If the red flags are taken seriously by society, crime may be reduced significantly.
References
Daly, B. (2014). Personality disorder best explains Luka Magnotta: Crown expert . TORONTO SUN. https://torontosun.com/2014/11/27/ultra-organized-magnotta-didnt-seem-schizophrenic-says-crown-expert .
D’Aliesio, R. (2013). New light shed on Luka Magnotta’s mental health shows he was diagnosed with schizophrenia . THE GLOBE AND MAIL. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/new-light-shed-on-luka-magnottas-mental-health-shows-he-was-diagnosed-with-schizophrenia/article10713680/ .
Minsky, A. (2014). Luka Magnotta guilty of first-degree murder, sentenced to life in prison . Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/1735929/jury-reaches-verdict-in-luka-magnotta-trial/amp/ .
Montgomery, S. (2014). Psychiatrist's report chronicles the making of Luka Magnotta . MONTREAL GAZETTE. https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/psychiatrists-report-chronicles-the-making-of-luka-magnotta .
Onate, J. (2020). Luka Magnotta: The problems behind the killer . NEST NETWORK. https://ehsnestnetwork.com/5688/opinions/luka-magnotta-the-problems-behind-the-killer/ .
Sheehy, E. (2012). Sexual assault in Canada: law, legal practice and women's activism (p. 836). University of Ottawa Press/Les Presses de l’Université d’Ottawa.
Timeline: A look at the Luka Magnotta case and the grisly video . (2016). Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/2474812/timeline-a-look-at-the-luka-magnotta-case-and-the-grisly-video/ .
Walker, C., & Campbell, K. (2012). The CCRC as an option for Canada: Forwards or backwards? In The criminal cases review commission (pp. 191-204). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
