Accused in quadruple homicide suffered psychotic episodes: court report

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/12/2023 (664 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg man arrested in the shooting deaths of four people at a Langside Street rooming house has struggled with addictions and psychotic episodes since the slaying of his twin brother more than a decade ago, his mother alleges in court documents filed earlier this year.

Jamie Felix’s family “fell apart… and everyone went their own way” following the 2012 killing of 21-year-old Johnathen Felix, the siblings’ mother, Mary Felix, said in a pre-sentence report provided to court in March.

“They were best friends, they did everything together.”

Johnathen’s killing left Jamie “emotionally distraught” with “every anniversary, birthday, anything” a potential trigger for his grief, she said.

Jamie Felix, 32, is charged with four counts of second-degree murder in the Nov. 26 shooting deaths of sisters Crystal Shannon Beardy, 34, and Stephanie Amanda Beardy, 33, and 29-year-old Melelek Leseri Lesikel and Dylan Maxwell Lavallee, 41.

A fifth shooting victim, a 55-year-old man, was taken to hospital in critical condition.

In March, Felix was sentenced to two years supervised probation for his role in an assault at a Watt Street apartment in August 2021. But for two previous drinking-and-driving-related convictions, the assault was the only entry on his criminal record prior to his recent arrest for the Langside homicides.

In his pre-sentence report, Mary Felix described her son as “very good growing up,” and said as a young man he “liked to entertain people and act funny.”

She was troubled by his arrest for the 2021 assault, which came at a time when he was struggling with addictions.

“Sometimes, I want him to go to jail because he has to learn about his actions,” she said. “On the other hand, I would say treatment, because he’s still dealing with his addictions.”

According to the pre-sentence report, Jamie Felix admitted to a serious and ongoing alcohol addiction, with only occasional use of cocaine when he was on a “binge.”

His mother, says the pre-sentence report, “expressed concern” about Felix’s repeated use of cocaine or crack. “She disclosed that (Felix) has gone into a psychotic state while under the influence of alcohol and cocaine/crack and been hospitalized as a result on multiple occasions.”

According to a Health Sciences Centre doctor interviewed for the report, Felix has what the report described as a seizure disorder and has been diagnosed with depression.

Felix was admitted to hospital in March 2022, after a seizure and psychotic episode that ended with him attempting suicide. Felix told the report’s writer he tried to stab himself in the chest.

Felix reported he had relapsed two times following treatment with the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, most recently in February. In December 2022, he spent seven days in a residential treatment program before taking off while on leave for a medical appointment.

Felix “stressed he is back on track and planned to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings until he can get back into a residential treatment program,” says the report.

Felix was a reservist in the Canadian Armed Forces for 11 years, ending in August 2021.

He enrolled in the business certification program at Winnipeg-based Yellowquill University College in September 2022, but left before the new year for “personal reasons,” according to a school counsellor interviewed for the report.

According to the counsellor, Felix had planned to return to school in September after finishing addictions treatment.

“Alcohol and drug use has undoubtedly had a destructive impact” on Felix’s life, the report says. “By his own admission, he has used substances as a means to cope with his traumatic experiences and emotional pain.”

The report’s writer said they were “hesitant to recommend Mr. Felix as a candidate for community supervision, considering the violent nature of the offence,” but risk could be managed if he demonstrated a commitment to sobriety.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca