Will Baker, who changed his name from Vince Li, beheaded a Greyhound passenger in 2008. THE CANADIAN PRESS/JOHN WOODS
The man who beheaded and cannibalized his seatmate on a Greyhound bus in 2008 has won the right to live on his own.Will Baker, who changed his name from Vince Li, currently lives in a group home in Winnipeg, but a Manitoba Criminal Code Review Board has decided he will be allowed to live by himself provided he undergoes daily supervision.Baker was on a Greyhound bus trip heading along the Trans-Canada Highway, when he stabbed the man sleeping beside him, 22-year-old Tim McLean, near Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, about 85 kilometres west of Winnipeg. He then decapitated McLean and began waving his head at other passengers. He also cannibalized parts of McLean's body.Baker, who said he heard voices telling him to murder McLean, was found not criminally responsible for the horrific crime due to his schizophrenia. Following the court's decision, Baker was locked inside Manitoba's Selkirk Mental Health Centre for 24 hours a day. Last year, he was moved into a supervised group home.The latest review board has granted Baker even more freedoms. He'll be able to live on his own, as long as he abides by a set of rules including daily check-ins, drug tests, and mental health care.Baker's medical team has said his mental health has improved significantly and that he understands the need to stay on his medication.But McLean's mother Carol de Delley told reporters she thinks the chances of Baker becoming ill again are high."We do not have a legal mechanism in Canada that requires him to take his medication, treat his illness. If he decides not to, we can't make him."Follow Manisha Krishnan on Twitter.
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