PORT COQUITLAM, B.C. -- Bruce Blackman was found unfit to stand trial Wednesday on charges of first-degree murder in the slayings of six members of his family and was ordered to be held indefinitely in a mental institution.
Blackman, 22, was charged with six counts of first-degree murder in January after police discovered the bodies of his parents, two sisters, a brother and brother-in-law in the family's split-level home in suburban Coquitlam.
Blackman was returned to court a week earlier than planned because three doctors had completed their medical examination on the basis of which Provincial Court Judge Kim Husband decided the accused was unfit to stand trial.
Blackman was in attendance when Husband delivered his decision to a crowded courtroom.
Crown prosecutor Pedro de Cuoto said Blackman would be remanded in custody indefinitely at the Forensic Psychiatric Center in Coquitlam.
'He could be brought back to court at a future date to face the charges if doctors find him fit to stand trial,' de Couto said. 'We don't know how long his treatment will last there or if he will be brought back to court.
'I suspect he will be brought back to court to face the charges in the future.'
Blackman's lawyer Richard Levenson said his client 'will be under constant observation in regards to his fitness while he is at the institution and at the time they feel he is fit to stand trial, they would notify the legal authorities.'
Levenson said he was in agreement with the findings of the medical officers and would not contest the judge's decision.
Police attending the Blackman home after a call from a neighbor last month found the bodies of Blackman's father Richard, 50, a Vancouver fireman; his mother Irene, 49; his brother Richard Joseph, 16; sister Roberta Lynn Davies, 28 and her husband John Iorweth Davies, 39, of North Vancouver; and Karen Dale Rhodes, 25.
Blackman's twin brother, Barry, who is serving with the Canadian Armed Forces in Ottawa, and sister Cathy Wylie were not at home at the time of the slayings.
District Coroner Dianne Messier said the six family members 'suffered traumatic injuries from gunshot wounds' and some had injuries from a blunt instrument but, on the advice of legal counsel, refused to cite the cause of the deaths in the autopsy report.
Friends of the Blackmans said the family had gathered to discuss a problem the night before the murders occurred. The next morning police found a .22-calibre rifle near the home and bodies located throughout the house.
