Family and friends of a woman stabbed repeatedly in her Vancouver home say she’s received no justice in the murder trial of her husband found not criminally responsible for her death due to a mental disorder.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice David Crossin made that ruling Dec. 11 in the case of Jian Wei Wang, 52, charged with second-degree murder in Jian Ying “Angela” Du's death on May 1, 2022.
Du, 51, suffered 27 stab wounds and seven slash wounds, Crossin said.
“Mr. Wang caused the death of his wife by the unlawful act of stabbing her to death with a knife,” Crossin said. “His mental disorder rendered him incapable of knowing his action was wrong.”
Sister Lucy Du told Glacier Media the decision is sad and disappointing, “morally unfair” and “unjust.”
She called Angela an independent person with a strong personality.
Crossin said Wang was delusionally sacrificing himself for China when Du “unexpectedly interrupted” him leading to her death.
Crown and defence had asked Crossin to find Wang not guilty by reason of a mental disorder.
The judge heard from two psychiatrists who testified Wang was mentally ill at the time of Du’s death. One said Wang had spent time in hospital in China as far back as 1995 for mental health issues. Wang was placed in a private facility rather than a public one by his father, a government official.
He had been on mood stabilizers and antipsychotics, drugs that were sent to Canada when Wang and Du moved to B.C.
But, Crossin said, Wang began to deteriorate in 2021 after his father’s death and stopped taking his medication.
“He believed Ms. Du was trying to poison him,” Crossin said.
The judge said Wang had said he was God, was controlled by outside forces and was thinking of killing Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Wang sat quietly in the prisoner’s dock as Crossin read his decision.
The judge ordered the case transferred to the B.C. Review Board, an independent body established to safeguard public safety as well as the rights of mentally ill accused persons until they can be safely reintegrated into society.
Wang is to be held in custody at Coquitlam’s Forensic Psychiatric Hospital.
What happened?
Police were called to a disturbance at an Olympic Village apartment building where they found Du suffering from fatal stab wounds. She died at the scene.
Crossin heard Wang had been stabbing himself before she arrived and the knife was turned on her.
Wang was arrested at the scene.
Wang was also charged with assaulting Du on May 22, 2020. There, Crossin said, Wang had held Du by the neck and brandished a knife. A bail order included a no-contact with Du.
He was charged and held at North Fraser Pretrial Centre. He was soon certified under the Mental Health Act and found to be psychotic. He was released in June 2021.
Wang was monitored and again certified in the fall of 2021 and soon diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type.
Three days before her death, Du called Wang’s case worker and said he was complaining of health problems. The next day, Wang called 911 repeatedly saying, “China,” Crossin said.
'Always kind'
Du had worked for Nigel Hogarth at his Infinity Sports Group before it sold to Canadian Tire.
Hogarth, who attended the case, said Du was a capable, intelligent, well-educated person who had risen in the company to be head of purchasing.
“She opened our offices in China,” Hogarth said.
He said she was employed by Lululemon at the time of her death.
“She was very efficient, very nice, never said a bad word about anybody,” Hogarth told Glacier Media. “Always kind.”
Hogarth said he was disappointed in the case, and that Du has not received any justice.
“The whole trial was from one side,” he said. “Not her side or the family side.”
“I think the system let her down . . . treating him as the victim and she’s forgotten.”
Hogarth said Du came to company functions and events but not Wang.
“She always came but there was never a husband,” he said.
The not criminally responsible decision aside, Hogarth wondered why no evidence was heard on possible motives Wang might have had for killing Du, who Crossin said supported her husband.
