An Alberta Court of King’s Bench judge has begun hearing Michael Ferzli’s application to be found not criminally responsible (NCR) for the fatal stabbing of his roommate, Joseph Farnsworth, at the Edmonton Corn Maze. The hearing began Monday and is expected to continue for two weeks before Justice Bob Aloneissi. Ferzli, who is charged with second-degree murder, says schizophrenia made him not criminally responsible for Farnsworth’s death on Aug. 27, 2024.

Court saw footage of RCMP officers arresting Ferzli in the maze. On a breezy, overcast afternoon, officers followed the paths to a small clearing of trampled corn stalks beside a signpost displaying a puzzle about how to find the exit. A large man in a blue T-shirt and khaki shorts was lying on top of another person.

“What’s going on here, guys?” one officer called. Another told the man to roll over and put his hands behind his back. After Ferzli complied, officers saw that the person beneath him was crumpled on the ground with a knife protruding from the neck.

Farnsworth was 52 and shared a south Edmonton group home with Ferzli. Ferzli had been living there after being discharged from Alberta Hospital Edmonton, where he had been confined following a court decision that found him NCR for a series of earlier assaults. Crown prosecutor Wendy Ekert told the court Ferzli had told his treatment team he felt uncomfortable around Farnsworth, particularly because of Farnsworth’s Swastika tattoo and anti-Semitic comments.

Ekert said Ferzli had also told his treatment team he was optimistic about his future, hoped to travel and wanted to live more independently. He listened quietly to Monday’s proceedings from the prisoner box, wearing a blue blazer over a white T-shirt.

Canadian law allows a person to be found NCR if a mental disorder made them incapable of understanding their actions or knowing those actions were wrong. People found NCR are typically held in mental hospitals, and a provincial review board oversees their return to the community. Some remain in hospital longer than they would have if they had received a jail sentence.

Ferzli had been found NCR after assaulting a patient and a security guard at an Edmonton hospital in December 2018. In February 2024, the Alberta Review Board allowed him to live in a halfway house as part of a gradual return to the community. Ekert read an agreed statement of facts describing his routine there: he worked several shifts a week at Walmart and regularly played recreational hockey.

Ferzli also went on walks. In the weeks before the stabbing, he told a friend he was recording 20,000 steps each day, and he reported losing 22 pounds. Friends and family became concerned about other changes. He developed a special interest in numbers and noticed patterns in house addresses and licence plates during his walks. He discarded or donated clothing containing red and became fixated on saints and angels.

On Aug. 27, Ferzli did not attend his Narcotics Anonymous sponsor’s 20th sobriety anniversary, which surprised the sponsor. Instead, he joined a group home outing to the corn maze west of Edmonton. The group had 11 people, including Ferzli, Farnsworth and a rehabilitation therapist with Alberta Health Services.

The therapist said Ferzli chatted normally during the drive but grew quiet later. When a smaller group decided to explore another part of the maze, Ferzli appeared “emotionless and pale” and shuffled his feet. At a T-intersection, the group stopped to read a sign. Ferzli then pulled out a knife and began stabbing Farnsworth, who fell face first into the corn. The two other members of the group ran away.

When RCMP found Ferzli, he was still on top of Farnsworth and making slow stabbing motions with an empty hand. Ferzli was initially silent, then cried as officers read him his Charter rights. He calmed down on the drive to the Parkland RCMP detachment but began crying again when asked to remove his crucifix necklace.

A physician who assessed Ferzli at the Edmonton Remand Centre said he referred to the number 666 and messages in pop songs. One doctor said Ferzli believed Katy Perry’s song “Roar” contained hidden messages directed at him. The remand physician diagnosed him with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder and noted a history of “persecutory and grandiose beliefs.” An autopsy found that Farnsworth died from “innumerable” stab wounds, many to his neck, according to the agreed facts.

The hearing also included testimony Monday from Dr. Oghogho Manuwa, a psychiatrist on Ferzli’s treatment team. Manuwa said he initially had few concerns about Ferzli living under supervision in the community. He also noted that, during regular check-ins, Ferzli had reported feeling overwhelmed and having problems with his roommate.

Based on reporting by Edmonton Journal.