A Belleville man has been found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder in the murder of his wife in Belleville’s east end.
68-year-old Michele Danese was facing a second degree murder charge in Susan Rosenberg-Danese’s death at a home on Plaza Square in March 2021.
In an agreed statement of facts between the crown and the defence, it states that police were called to a home on a wellness check on March 9, 2021, where they located Rosenberg-Danese with a stab wound to her neck.
The statement says Danese had suffered two serious mental health episodes, ultimately being diagnosed with schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder and was prescribed medication.
A contract had been signed between Michele and Susan that Michele would take the medication or they wouldn’t be together.
Rosenberg-Danese had messaged friends that nights were terrifying, with others describing Danese’s behaviour as odd and like talking with a completely different person.
A report from Dr. Gary Andrew Chaimowitz says that Danese told the psychiatrist that he was awakened by two voices directing him to take a knife, knock on his wife’s bedroom door, touch her neck with the knife three times before cutting her on the third time.
The report says that Danese was hallucinating, delusional and had no insight into the nature of what was right or wrong from a moral standpoint at the time of the incident.
Another psychiatrist gave a review of the Dr. Chaimowitz’s findings, saying that he had come to a reasonable conclusion.
In her ruling, Justice Kristin Muszynski said she was satisfied with the findings and deemed Danese not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder.
A warrant of committal will be signed where Danese will remain at the Central East Correctional Centre before transferring to the Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences once a bed opens up at the facility.
A non-communication and DNA order was also placed on Danese.