Son found not criminally responsible for ‘brutal murder’ of parents in Ile Bizard

Wayne Arnott and Louise Boucher are seen in this 2014 Facebook photo (photo: Facebook)

WARNING: This story contains details of a double homicide that may be disturbing to some readers.

A 31-year-old man who stabbed his parents to death in 2022 has been deemed not criminally responsible for his crimes and will remain at a psychiatric facility.

Mitchell Arnott killed Wayne Arnott and Louise Boucher in their Ile-Bizard home.

Mitchell suffers from schizophrenia, holds delusional beliefs and has an absence of critical thought, among other considerations, a recent ruling reads.

“The brutal murder of Louise Boucher and Wayne Arnott at the hands of their son is incomprehensible,” reads the ruling from Superior Court Justice Marc David.

“The acts were committed by someone who is very ill and to this day is unable to appreciate the absurdity of his justifications. One can only hope that he will come to understand the reality and the consequences of his actions. Until that day, Mitchell Arnott poses a threat to public safety.”

Mitchell Arnott was found to be a “high-risk accused” and will be detained at the Philippe Pinel Psychiatric Institute unless the person in charge of the hospital deems that he no longer poses a risk.

Crown prosecutors determined that he could not be held criminally responsible for killing his parents in December and sought for him to be declared a high-risk accused, the ruling reads.

On Oct. 19, 2022, Arnott presented himself at Lakeshore Hospital covered in blood and “had a wound on his head,” the court document details.

“The accused was examined by a nurse to which he said that the killed his parents in their home,” it continues. “He further explained that he was invited to dinner by his mom and that an argument occurred concerning a post he made on his social media. He said the argument became a physical altercation and that he acted to defend himself against his father. He was struck with a baseball bat and his mother intervened. He was in a fit of rage.”

He was 29 at the time, his father was 60, and his mother was 65. Wayne Arnott owned Bluenose Collectibles, a popular collectibles shop in Pointe-Claire.

The murder weapons, a knife and a bat, were found in the son’s car.

On Nov. 6, 2024, he admitted that he killed his parents.

Both the Crown and defence agreed that he was not criminally responsible for his crimes on account of his mental disorder. The defence did not contest the high-risk designation.