Stratford man dies after attack blamed on Alan Wood — who threatened to kill him back in 2019
Wood declared not criminally responsible after court told of bipolar disorder diagnosis
A senior who was attacked with a baseball bat in his home two weeks ago has died, according to RCMP in Prince Edward Island.
"I can confirm that the man who was seriously assaulted by Alan Wood has passed away," said Cpl. Gavin Moore, the force's spokesperson on the Island.
On Oct. 24, the man was attacked at his home in Stratford and taken to hospital with serious injuries. In a separate attack a day later, a Stratford woman was also attacked in her home and badly hurt.
Wood, 60, was arrested a few days later and charged with two counts of attempted murder, as well as a number of other charges. All the charges have been stayed now, since Wood himself has also died.
"I don't have any updates on the woman who was assaulted," Moore said on Wednesday.
Police had previously said that Wood knew his alleged victims. CBC News has now viewed court records that show Wood had previously threatened to kill the man whom he attacked on Oct. 24.
Threats go back 9 years
Those court documents show the threats to the Stratford man started in 2015. He received threatening mail in the form of letters and cards, with the writer demanding $300,000 and enclosing a pocket knife at one point.
In 2019, the man received a phone call from a caller who identified himself as Alan Wood, whom the man had known since Wood was a child. The caller asked if the victim had been receiving his correspondence before threatening to go to his home and kill him.
Police were called, and Wood was arrested and charged with uttering threats.
Five months later, court documents show Judge Nancy Orr found Wood not criminally responsible for making the threats under Section 672.34 of the Criminal Code of Canada.
Under Canada's justice system, people who are determined to have committed criminal acts while under the influence of mental illnesses are not held criminally responsible for their actions in the same way that other people are.
Documents presented in court at the time showed Wood had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. A family member told the court she believed he had post-traumatic stress disorder from working as a paramedic in Alberta.
Now — more than five years later — RCMP say Wood attacked the same man he had threatened.
Same victim
As well as the attempted murder charges, Wood was also charged with using a weapon to rob the woman who was attacked in her home, assaulting a gas station worker in an unrelated incident, and threatening a corrections officer after he was arrested.
Wood was in court on Monday, Oct. 28, appearing visibly agitated while in restraints and shouting incoherently. He was supposed to appear again on Oct. 30, but the court heard he had been taken to hospital that morning after a seizure at the Provincial Corrections Centre. He died a day later.
The Crown had initially said it intended to seek a psychiatric evaluation, but stayed the charges against Wood after he died.
The death of an inmate while in the custody of the province normally prompts a coroner's inquest if that office believes there is any possibility the death could have been prevented. As part of that assessment, Wood's death is still under investigation.
RCMP have said initial findings point to Wood having died of natural causes.
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