Donnelly Found Fit For Trial In “House Of Horrors” Killing
By Charlie Senack, Barrhaven Independent
Connor Donnelly has been found fit to stand trial after being accused of killing his mother at a Barrhaven home in November.
The 37-year-old was charged following the Nov. 14 incident with one count of Second Degree Murder and another count of Attempted Murder, after Ottawa’s 15th homicide of the year took place.
Donnelly is accused of stabbing his mother 64-year-old Linda Frederick, and stepfather Michel Sabourin, 67. Fredrick died on the scene at her Sherway Drive home and Sabourin battled life threatening issues in hospital but survived.
Donnelly has been found fit to stand trial for both charges.
It was during the first snowfall of the winter when dozens of police vehicles lined the normally quiet suburban street. Some neighbours were forced to evacuate their homes as Donnelly allegedly barricaded himself in the bathroom, according to police. Tactical officers and swat teams closed off the area as negotiations inside the home perused. It all came to an end at around 2:00 am when Donnelly surrendered and was arrested.
Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly called the scene “a house of horrors” and said that officers were left traumatized by the scene they witnessed.
Splatters of blood could be seen on the front step and door of the home where the Barrhaven couple lived for decades. It was a similar gruesome scene outside the next door neighbours’ house where Sabourin allegedly ran for help.
At Christmas, a makeshift memorial was set up outside the home. According to neighbours, Fredrick had a love for the holidays.
An early report by CBC Ottawa stated that Donnelly had a history of mental health struggles and dealt with schizophrenia, which his parents tried to help get under control. Kim Kennedy, who was a friend of the family, said after years of issues, Donnelly was diagnosed with the illness, which three per cent of Canadians will deal with in their lifetime.
The family friend says she’s known Fredrick for more than 30 years, and quickly bonded over long phone conversations, primarily about their kids. When news broke of a homicide on Sherway, Kennedy’s husband worried it may have been Donnelly, but quickly took the thought out of his mind.
Kennedy states that Frederick and Sabourin dealt with Donnelly’s admission to The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre and stays at the Civic campus of The Ottawa Hospital.
During Donnelly’s first major episode, according to Kennedy, he thought people were after him with guns. Because of his instability, Frederick was unable to visit Donnelly during his stay at the Royal Ottawa but called her son to offer comforting words.
