ESTEVAN, Sask. — The possibility of another assessment to determine whether William Joshua Curtis was not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (NCRMD) is once again being discussed in court.
Curtis appeared in Estevan Provincial Court on Nov. 9 by CCTV. He has been in custody since his arrest in connection with a shooting in Estevan in April 2024.
Defence lawyer Joelle Graham, appearing on behalf of Curtis' lawyer Aleida Oberholzer, said the defence is requesting an NCR assessment and an adjournment to Dec. 21.
Crown prosecutor Travis Avery said an updated NCR form would be needed.
During an appearance in September, Curtis elected to have his matters tried in provincial court. The trial was expected to take a week.
But during a case management session later that month, the Crown and defence agreed to request another NCR assessment.
During Curtis' Nov. 2 appearance, Oberholzer noted that an instruction letter had been prepared for the doctor proposed to conduct the assessment. It included a summary of the disclosure and a request for the assessment to encompass all counts.
Background: Curtis has been charged with one count each of attempted murder by discharging a firearm, pointing a firearm, discharging a firearm, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for the purpose of committing an offence, uttering threats, manufacturing ammunition while unauthorized and possession of a firearm while prohibited, along with two counts of manufacturing a firearm while unauthorized.
The incident occurred April 8, 2024, in the 1600 block of Third Street in Estevan. According to the Estevan Police Service, Curtis fled the scene after the incident. He was later apprehended at another house.
In December 2024, Curtis was deemed unfit to stand trial and was remanded to the Saskatchewan Hospital, a psychiatric facility in North Battleford. He was declared fit to stand trial earlier this year.
SaskToday will continue to monitor this story.
