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The mother of a Kamloops man accused of stabbing his neighbour to death nearly three years ago warned police the day before the slaying that her son was “going to do something bad” and off his meds, a judge has been told.
Jason Michael Holm’s first-degree murder trial began Tuesday and continued Wednesday in B.C. Supreme Court. The 39-year-old stands accused in the death of Paul Samuel Whitten, also 39, who was stabbed to death on Clarke Street in the West End on Aug. 1, 2020.
Court has heard Whitten was stabbed 49 times. Police found him gravely injured on a balcony on Clarke Street after responding to a 911 call about a man covered in blood. Before he died, court heard, Whitten identified his killer as “Jason.”
On Wednesday, a number of police officers testified about Holm’s arrest, which took place not long after Whitten was killed.
Under cross-examination from defence lawyer Matt Smith, RCMP Const. Jason Adams said Mounties decided to arrest Holm after, among other things, looking him up on their database and seeing an entry from the previous day.
Adams said Holm’s mother called police the evening before Whitten was killed.
“She called police to report that Jason Holm had been walking around the street naked while masturbating,” Adams said.
“More specifically, she went so far as to say she was concerned that he was going to do something bad over the weekend because he was off his medications. She requested that police check on him.”
Holm’s mom called police on Friday evening and Whitten died on Saturday morning.
B.C.’s police watchdog was called in to investigate the incident because Mounties were looking for Holm when Whitten died. The Independent Investigations Office cleared officers of any wrongdoing.
Holm has a history of mental illness. He has twice been found not criminally responsible by way of a mental disorder (NCRMD) on previous charges. He was also found unfit for trial in 2021, then declared fit last year.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Joel Groves is expected to be asked to determine whether Holm should be found NCRMD in Whitten’s death.
Court has heard Holm and Whitten were neighbours and friends.
Holm’s trial is slated to run more than two weeks.
