File photo of to Vince Li, who was found not criminally responsible for stabbing and decapitating Tim McLean in July, 2008, near Portage la Prairie. Vince Li is shown in a Portage La Prairie, Man., court Tuesday, August 5, 2008.The Canadian Press
A supporter of the man who beheaded a fellow passenger on a Greyhound bus in Manitoba says the man thought he was attacking an alien.
Vince Li has granted an interview to Chris Summerville, head of the Manitoba Schizophrenia Society, who says Mr. Li has been treated unfairly by the public and the media.
Mr. Summerville says Mr. Li told him he heard voices that said fellow passenger Tim McLean was an alien who had to be killed to protect other passengers.
Mr. Li is a schizophrenic and was found not criminally responsible for the crime.
He has been confined to a mental hospital, but last week was granted the right to escorted trips off the hospital grounds and into Selkirk, Man.
Mr. Summerville says that Mr. Li told him during the 45-minute interview that he understands the importance of staying on medication and would like forgiveness from the victim's family.
Mr. Li took out a knife and attacked Mr. McLean, a stranger who was sitting beside him on the bus, in July 2008.