Greyhound Bus Killer Vince Li is a " Paranoid Schizophrenic"

by Christina 123 | August 3, 2008 at 02:30 pm

22414 views | 13 Recommendations | 89 comments

It has been revealed today that Greyhound Bus Killer Vince Li, "is a Paranoid Schizophrenic", say his friends. Vince Li, 40, arrived in Canada from China four years ago and is notorious for the infamous Greyhound bus beheading in Manitoba of 22 year old Tim McLean.

It has now been revealed that when Vince Li arrived in Canada, he had a job lined up as a Computer Programmer and lived in Vancouver for a while. What went wrong? How did he end up allegedly working at MacDonald's and Wal-Mart?

They say Li was clearly battling mental illness, but refused repeated offers to see a doctor and get help.

"I think, in their culture, (the issue of mental illness) is kind of frowned upon," the woman said. She works in the mental health field and said it was obvious Li was struggling.

"He was definitely schizophrenic, probably paranoid schizophrenic," she said. "He needed help but he just wouldn't get it."

There was the constant paranoia, a feeling that he was always being watched and that others might be out to get him.

There were his bizarre, rambling stories that seemed to come out of nowhere.

And there were the unannounced bus trips that would catch his wife by surprise -- such as the time he hopped on a Greyhound headed to The Pas, later explaining that he wanted to look at some land he was thinking about buying.

"I don't think he actually had any money. This was probably just a symptom of his disease," the woman said.

She recalls an unusual conversation with Li shortly after he got a red-light ticket in Winnipeg. "He started talking about how 'they were after me, there was nothing there,' " the woman said.

Li's illness soon began taking a toll on his marriage.

He and his wife Anna found a home in the Osborne Village area of Winnipeg shortly after coming to Canada.

He got hired as a forklift driver with Midland Foods on Nairn Avenue, while she began working several waitressing jobs at Chinese-food restaurants in the city.

The couple began occasionally attending church services at the Grant Memorial Baptist Church, which opened the door to other social opportunities.

Li worked at the church and its attached schoolhouse as a night custodian for a time.

The woman who spoke with the Free Press said her father and stepmother took a liking to the couple and began having them over for dinner and, eventually, for visits to their Whiteshell cottage.

"He was always a little bit quiet, kind of reserved. I think that's because he was self-conscious about his English," she said.

However, Li eventually warmed up to the family.

"We'd play cards together, dominoes, games like that," she said.

However, things took a turn about two years ago when Li suddenly left his wife and went to Edmonton. The woman said it's clear Li's wife was frustrated by her husband's erratic behaviour.

She stayed behind in Winnipeg -- continuing to work various jobs -- but recently moved to Edmonton where Li had apparently found work delivering newspapers and flyers.

Members of Grant Memorial church had recently spoken with Li, apparently concerned about how he and his wife were doing.

However, nobody predicted things would reach such a crisis point and climax in one of the country's grisliest murder cases.

The woman predicts Li will finally now get the help he needs -- far too late for the victim and everyone else impacted by the crime.

"There's no way he's going behind bars. He's going to end up in a mental health facility," she predicted.

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SOLARLIFE

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 14:57 on August 3rd, 2008

Christina 123, I like this story. I can't believe it, in ashort time copy of the"ritual" in Athens .Mental illness always applies to comfort us, I believe more in a videogame or movie or book proposing such acts, to copy them to feel strong.

Usiah (not verified)

at 15:12 on March 5th, 2009

O cool, you can get off with cutting peoples heads off in Canada. Nice to know :)

This IS the place all the terrorist should come and live. Do what you like.

So is there a limit of how many people you can kill? or are you only allowed to kill one? If its only one person, you would have to make sure your picking the right one.

Fuzzy (not verified)

at 13:55 on March 6th, 2009

You're completely ignorant. This man was wrong in not getting his medication, but it was beyond his control. He will not get away with it though, he will stay under tight surveillance in the mental health care system, and should he get to leave he will be under close watch and be legally required to take his medication. If he doesn't, he will be sent back to the facility for a number of years. You obviously know nothing of the mental health care system in Canada or anywhere else.

The 'terrorist' comment was juvinile. Sorry if not all Muslims or Middle Eastern people live up to your expectations as sexist, crazed religious zealots. Sorry if Canada, and other CIVILIZED countries don't live by a standard of fear and bigotry fueled by media propogranda and see things logically.

AshSmash (not verified)

at 09:12 on March 27th, 2009

Your so dumb, what kind of person are u?! Well I live in Canada, so maybe YOU should come here!

Bob Jones (not verified)

at 07:17 on March 11th, 2009

hey u suck

CandyKane219 (not verified)

at 07:37 on March 11th, 2009

Solarlife why you didn't post anymore?

Christina 123

at 15:35 on August 3rd, 2008

Thanks SOLARLIFE! I think the incident on a Greek island is a different scenario in that the victim was a girlfriend and the motive was apparently insane jealousy. It is believed the Manitoba incident was a stranger-on-stranger crime with no motive, although both victim and alleged attacker come from Edmonton. You do wonder whether the mentally-ill are getting the treatment they need, instead of wandering around possibly crazed and a danger to the public and themselves.

Hanghimhigher (not verified)

at 17:46 on August 3rd, 2008

He had his chance to get help. No one cares that his people turn a blind eye to mental illnesses. He was and is a Canadian now and should have swallowed his pride and dealt with it before something like this occured. Now it's too late and thanks to him and his family's ignorance another family has to suffer. Totally uncalled for! All I have to say now about this is OFF WITH HIS HEAD!

duo

at 22:54 on August 3rd, 2008

Surely you are kidding.

Mary

duo

at 23:09 on August 3rd, 2008

You said he "should have swallowed his pride and dealt with it before something like this occured."

You are probably right. That is certainly something that anybody in his "right mind" would agree with. The problem is that this man wasn't in his right mind. One possible problem that gave rise to this tragedy may be that people ignored the warning signs leading up to the murder and did nothing about it. Government regulations in America have families' hands tied to enforce treatment for our mental patients, even when they see plainly that their loved one is headed for some serious trouble, like this patient. Is it that way in Canada? Is it hard for neighbors or family members to demand help for someone who is acting erratic?

The barriers to enforced treatment for acute mental illness were created to help patients, but many times, they actually act as barriers to treatment the patients must have in order to survive free in society. Easier access to mental health care is warranted, ESPECIALLY when the patient does not have the wherewithall to swollow is pride and deal with his problems, as you suggest this patient should have done.

Mary Neal

concerned (not verified)

at 19:22 on August 3rd, 2008

Absolutely horrified. Second-degree murder--are you kidding me? This psycho should be absolutely tortured to death--no sympathies WHATSOEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sparkly (not verified)

at 23:45 on August 3rd, 2008

Your calling him a psycho when your the one who wants him "tortured to death"???? Pretty sinister.

markyhabs (not verified)

at 01:18 on August 5th, 2008

would be nice to know what he did in China i bet he killed all sorts and thats why he left...........everyone of us has a bit of hin in us....but we would not kill an inocent sleep kid.....

he should be put to death.....i have seen dogs that have done much less put to death and most of the time its because of the dog owners fault and not the dog.....this man should not be alowed to procreate and the gene pool must be stopped.

Appalled! (not verified)

at 18:17 on March 26th, 2009

I completely agree!

Cecelia W (not verified)

at 19:47 on August 3rd, 2008

Hopefully Canada (and the world) will start taking schizophrezia a little more seriously and stop stigmatizing it.

Obviously, we've now seen the horrors and ugliness of Schizophrenia and now weknow that is a very real disease, an ugly, horrific disease that brutally affects not only your moral compass, but everything around you, and everything about you, and everyone near you, and everything that is. It is not a "Secret" disease, it is not a disease you should keep to yourself or "forget about". It is important.

We are all trying to make sense of this by telling ourselves that Vince Li is the Devil, and that God has taken Tim's soul because it was his time to go. And maybe that is true.

But I think the real issue here is that we have not fully examined Schizophrenia and all the dangers it poses. I think if we should be furious at anyone, it is not Vince Li, but the government, and the people who have decided that Schizophrenia ia "not really a big deal" or worth examining.

Um, yes it is. And I think now we have enough evidence to argue that fact.

Stephen Baker (not verified)

at 21:16 on August 3rd, 2008

You are over thinking this, he is a monster and needs to be destroyed. Each breath he takes insults us and our way of life. MONSTERS MUST BE SLAIN.

liberty (not verified)

at 15:12 on August 5th, 2008

You were talking just like a terrorist. Retaliation is never a good way to SOLVE problems.

Gh0s7

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 21:41 on August 3rd, 2008

Christina 123, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Wright (not verified)

at 21:46 on August 3rd, 2008

I blame your Canadian Government who allowed him to Immigrate to this country in the first place! You cannot tell me your Immigration officials did not know this Guy was ill? Does Canada seriously need more paper delivery people and MacDonald's employees that you need to import them from China? Especially when the media say his command of the English language was clearly lacking.

Sometimes your country can be your worst enemy when it comes to bringing in Immigrants. Doesn't your country have a points system or something? Apparently Psychos from China must get preferrential treatment on the points spread.

disgusetd0000000 (not verified)

at 18:28 on August 6th, 2008

You

eyeloveCanada (not verified)

at 17:53 on August 23rd, 2008

Wright, what the f..k gives you the right to ramble on about immigration, when he didn't present himself any different from anyone else when entering the country. There are plenty psycho killers in the north america, hello remember the Oklahoma bombing, and he's born in his home country.

BTW, most people won't work at dead end job, and that's where immigration is benefitted. Hell, where else do you get doctors and engineers. So before you shoot off your mouth and sounding more like a racist bigot, figure out how well your country is performing without doctors and engineers from China, India, or any other country where they immigrated from.

lolwright (not verified)

at 15:41 on March 3rd, 2009

First off, Writght, you better feel special that my name is named after you lol... and secondly, im taking a guess that you're an American? Dam you North America, so this is the kind of people you have in your country, people who leaves racist comments just because this guy is a Chinese born... how well mannered, well educated, and well commented...

freddydesouza

at 21:53 on August 3rd, 2008

i think there could be other reason too like, may be he wanted to sleep but the music mclean was playing was disturbing him and to ask him to shut the music or turn down the volume will invite retaliation from tim mclean, he must have taught .or may be he asked him to and mclean did not care. It is not necessary going through legal ways one can get justice specially when he is recent immigrant with very little knowledge of english,skin colour ,being asian, such people frequently gets dicriminated in the west or for that matter any one in any place with entirely different exposure. Just like not everybody can tell lie all the time or tell truth all the time, li too may not be schizoprenic all the time and in this case that time may be he did not behave like schizophrenic but behaved in normal angry ways.HOw do we know he did not have angry conversation with tim mclean before. People do take law in their hands sometimes when justice is not done. There r many in jail for decades who are innocent. there is prove. I think may be one day li will admit what exactly happened.

frederick dsouza india/goa

Justices (not verified)

at 15:31 on August 5th, 2008

"MOTIVES" is important no matter what kinda race he is.

wes geneau (not verified)

at 13:46 on September 27th, 2008

fuck your stupid

CandyKane219 (not verified)

at 22:41 on August 3rd, 2008

I have a relative who is schizophrenic and I can tell you that ten years ago she seemed just a little off but now she is as if she is completely possessed. She see's demons, claims rape but is still a virgin, (doctors have confirmed this) goes into rages beating up everyone thinking their all gonna "get her". If she was to do something this crazy, it would be expected. People like this aren't in control of themselves, but I don't buy that he is schizophrenic! I think he is very much in control and planned to do this and probably enjoyed it while he was doing it! When you meet a schizophrenic in a condition enabling them to do this, FRANTIC is the word I would use to describe them. Not CALM. I've been in many hospitals seeing alotta people in this condition, I DON'T BUY IT!

duo

at 23:12 on August 3rd, 2008

They're not all "frantic." Some patients appear quite calm, but there may be a real storm of emotions going on inside them.

AdvisorX (not verified)

at 10:36 on August 8th, 2008

Rape is not the legal term, it's sexual assualt. A virgin can be sexually assaulted without penetration.

A dildo or penis could be moved up and down vertically between the vagina lips

and in her state she could believe she was penetrated. Being a virgin she may not

know what penetration is....many girls have been impregnated not knowing what sex is

or oral sex could have been performed.

She may have been shown porn whilst a person masterbated her

and so what she described was what she seen in the movie whilst

she was been sexually assualted and if this occurred when she was

a child or late childhood and she had a mental disorder then she may

not have had the adult skills and words to adequetely express what

happened in it's entirety.......as many child sexual assualt victims'

coping mechanisms can block out all or a significant portion of the

memories of the actual traumatic event. I do realize that the doctors

may be correct in her case but they have been known to not get the

full details from trauma victims as it is a long term effort and schizophrenics

in particular are drugged for life and so they are not fully present memory wise.

If execution was the answer then we would have eliminated schizophrenia

long ago when for centuries they were executed. The only hope of decreasing

the Li's before they do what they did is to study this disease in living persons

and determine the best way to assess people to determine if they have any of

Li's factors being demonstrated and then to take action immediately if so.

Otherwise, the cops would have to keep their guns cocked and shot people

before they get to kill someone and if the cops was wrong a few times then

what? Many a cop would not agree with shooting the mentally ill on sight

because they might or might not kill someone. To prevent by killing is to kill

off any chance of learning how to identify potential worse case scenarios.

If you only learn from Li how to kill Li, then your lesson is over.

Others want to learn to make ours a better world by catching the Li's before

they kill for prevention reasons. Ask a number of cops. Should the Li's

be studied for preventative reasons? or kill upon finding them at the scene

of the murder as so many persons in blogs have stated.

Christina 123

at 12:54 on August 8th, 2008

Good points. We need to keep in perspective that the number of mentally ill people who murder are exeedingly small: most murderers are probably extrovert rather than introvert (classic schizo) and so the number who kill are usually the result of being sent out to "care in the community" with very liitle support from anyone.

Should we feel sorry for Vince Li? As Shakespeare put it, "Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so." I tend to think that what Li did was "bad". If Li was mentally ill that would mitigate it, but I rather suspect Li is cold-blooded and callous. Sometimes people do things becuase they are just plain nasty.

Stradarte (not verified)

at 16:53 on March 4th, 2009

WOW! again... this page is full of Einsteins... for someone who has a schizophrenic relation you sure have learned a lot oH! great specialist... thanks for the enlightened opinion...