A 79-year-old Blenheim man is waiting to hear where he will be heading next after he was found not criminally responsible for killing his wife.
Walter Ardis is currently being held in custody at the Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care in St. Thomas after a judge in Chatham determined on Monday that he did kill his wife in March 2016 and set their home on fire.
However, the same judge agreed with the Crown and the defence that Ardis was not criminally responsible for his actions based on the results of a psychiatric evaluation.
A forensic psychiatrist from London, Ontario told the court on Monday that after working closely with Ardis for an extended period of time, he believed Ardis, who suffers from dementia, was not criminally responsible for his actions.
Ardis' wife, Margaret, was found dead in their Blenheim home with a single gunshot wound to the back of her head in March 2016. Police found a handgun in the home that was missing one bullet from the chamber. Officers later determined the gun was capable of firing the type of bullet that killed Margaret.
Defence lawyer Dave Jacklin says the case took a while to get to trial because at first, Ardis was not mentally fit to take the stand.
"Through the work of the psychiatrist, he was able to become fit and when that happened, we were able to raise the defence of 'not criminally responsible,'" says Jacklin, adding the trial went about as well as it could have. "Mr. Ardis is now 79 years of age and he's suffering from a myriad of medical issues including dementia... this was the best result for him."
A review board will hold a hearing at the Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care in St. Thomas within the next month and a half to determine Ardis' future.
