Accused cop killer Jongwon Ham unfit for trial
The man accused of killing RCMP Const. Shaelyn Yang in a Burnaby, B.C., park is "clearly overwhelmed by delusional thinking," which would prevent him from making rational decisions during trial, a B.C. Supreme Court judge has ruled.
Justice Michael Tammen said Monday that Jongwon Ham is mentally unfit to stand trial.
"Although Mr. Ham possesses a very good understanding of the court processes and the basic role of the participants, his delusions prevent him from making rational decisions in navigating that process," Tammen said during the ruling on the Ham's fitness.
"Mr. Ham is currently very clearly overwhelmed by delusional thinking, which prevents him from making the fundamental decisions that all accused must make in criminal proceedings. For those reasons, I make the finding in declaration that Mr. Ham is not fit to stand trial."
Ham, who appeared by video conference in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver, is charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Yang in October 2022.
The judge referred the matter to the B.C. Review Board, which will hold a hearing on his mental health in 90 days. Ham will be transferred back to a forensic hospital.
The board is an independent tribunal that assesses the mental health of those criminally accused.
On the day Ham's trial was due to begin in January, Tammen instead ordered the fitness hearing to determine if Ham had the mental capacity to understand the charge and if he could take part in his own defence.
Two psychiatrists told the hearing that Ham suffers from a psychotic disorder and the court heard both doctors shared the opinion he is unfit for trial.
The judge said in his ruling that there's a basis to believe that Ham's psychosis is getting worse.
"Clearly, Mr. Ham's delusional beliefs are at present overwhelming his ability to understand his legal options and consequences of various possible outcomes," the judge told the court on Monday.
"His delusions are preventing him from making rational, reality-based decisions about the trial process and to instruct counsel in that regard."
Yang, a mental health and outreach worker for the RCMP, was stabbed to death on Oct. 18, 2022, when she tried to speak to a man in a tent in Broadview Park.
Psychiatrist Dr. Mandeep Saini told the hearing that he had six interviews with Ham in January, while Dr. Mario Moscovici, who was called by the defence, conducted a single two-hour interview.
Ham himself, who has been vocal throughout the hearing, also testified, but an interim publication ban prevents reporting of his testimony, or anything he told the psychiatrists.
Saini said he assessed Ham as having a delusional disorder, but he also couldn't rule out a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
Ham's lawyer Caroline Senini told the hearing last month that her client does not believe he has delusions, and it would be up to the judge to decide whether he does and, if so, "what that means for his decision-making in the conduct of his defence."
Prosecutor Colleen Smith had previously told the court that the Crown was not taking a position on Ham's mental fitness, but said the accused has a nuanced understanding of the trial process.
B.C.'s police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office, said in a statement in December 2022 that the man in the tent was shot and wounded by Yang.
The IIO investigates incidents of police-involved death or serious harm that may have involved actions or inactions by police.
However, the oversight agency said in the report that its director determined there were no reasonable grounds to believe an officer committed an offence in the shooting.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 20, 2026.
By Brieanna Charlebois | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.