"Does someone have to die for them to do something?" Audrey Napper

[duster]

Audrey Napper, a slightly-built senior citizen, was terrified of her schizophrenic roomate, Linda Lafleur, 53. But when she called police in Oshawa last month, she was told there was nothing they could do.
"Does someone have to die for them to do somehting?" she asked a friend. Apparently the answer was yes. On Tuesday night, Lafleur called the landlord to say that that Napper had died. She sure had. When police arrived, they discovered Napper in a pool of blood, a large kitchen knife sticking out of her head. Lafleur is now charged with first-degree murder, which she will no doubt be acquitted of, by reason of insanity. In the weeks leading up to the killing, Lafleur had been complaining that someone was putting snakes into her bedroom, that the world was spiralling out of control and that God was speaking to her. The last straw came when Napper found her schizophrenia medication floating in the toilet. But when when she called the police for help, she was told there was nothing they could do because "she had not done anything."

[trose]

Good grief. They couldn't have taken her in on a 72 hour hold or something? Or does that area not have anything like that?

That lady didn't have to die.

[ChargerBill]

Terrified? Did she have no alternative but to live with this person? Yikes!

[duster]

Good grief. They couldn't have taken her in on a 72 hour hold or something? Or does that area not have anything like that?

That lady didn't have to die.

Absolutely the cops could have done something Trose. This is from one of the news articles:
"The police do have the power to bring someone to hospital for a (mental health) assessment if they suspect that (A) there's a mental illness and (B) that the mental illness is potentially producing a dangerous situation," Whitby Mental Health Centre physician-in-chief Dr. Peter Prendergast said yesterday of the powers police have under the Mental Health Act.
"All that's really required is a level of suspicion that there might be a risk. It's really not the job of a police officer or someone in the community to do a risk assessment."

Terrified? Did she have no alternative but to live with this person? Yikes!

I've been wondering the same thing. Napper's father had recently moved out to live in a nursing home, and she needed a roomate, so she invited Lafleur to stay. Once a person is in, it is VERY difficult to get them out. But no one was forcing Napper to stay...

[Long Gone Day]

What a shame they didn't listen to her. Fail.

[duster]

A bizarre coincidence from Wednesday afternoon: Napper's son Brian appeared in the same courtroom, at the same time, as Linda Lafleur. He's facing a charge of threatening death in a completely unrelated case.

[ChargerBill]

A bizarre coincidence from Wednesday afternoon: Napper's son Brian appeared in the same courtroom, at the same time, as Linda Lafleur. He's facing a charge of threatening death in a completely unrelated case.

Holy irony, Batman

[KristinEileen]

What a shame they didn't listen to her. Fail.

Agreed. I would think in the case of someone with a mental illness like schizophrenia the authorities would be required to check in with the caller. If you threaten suicide they are at your door why not when you are afraid of your mentally ill house mate?

[DexterKitty]

Sounds like the cops turned a deaf ear to that poor lady. I wonder why she stayed there if the other woman was acting so unhinged? I wonder how come her family didn't intervene, and get her out of there? I would imagine they will probably ship her off to a mental hospital, treat her, and turn her loose in a few months. God help anybody in the vacinity when that happens. *shudder*

[ChargerBill]

Looks like she was told not to take the killer in.....

"We all sort of warned (Napper) not to move her in there," Boyd said.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/20...80026-sun.html

[guardmom2008]

If she was that afraid of living with her,then I would have found another place to live. I agree the police should have been able to hold her. Truly sad that this happened.

[duster]

The thing is though, the cops could have taken Lafleur (translation: The Flower) in, if they chose to do so. They didn't. Cops are cynical these days to the point that they are becoming lax.
And in this case it cost a woman her life.

[guardmom2008]

True, the cops should definitely have done something, they certainly aren't in any position to be lax. It will be interesting to see what happens to the cops, if anything.

[melody]

Well isn't this the same thing that happens with domestic violence cases?? Not always of course but many times more than a restraining order is asked for but they say the same that they can't do anything because they haven't done anything yet. So yeah it's always my question...does something have to happen? Which in many cases but then it's too late...

[guardmom2008]

Well isn't this the same thing that happens with domestic violence cases?? Not always of course but many times more than a restraining order is asked for but they say the same that they can't do anything because they haven't done anything yet. So yeah it's always my question...does something have to happen? Which in many cases but then it's too late...

Yes, you are right, in some/most domestic violence cases the ovictim is killed before anything gets done. There are some of us that were lucky, but it was like pulling teeth to get anyone to listen let alone a restraining order, the police just don't like to get involved in domestic problems, atleast in my area.

[melody]

Yes, you are right, in some/most domestic violence cases the ovictim is killed before anything gets done. There are some of us that were lucky, but it was like pulling teeth to get anyone to listen let alone a restraining order, the police just don't like to get involved in domestic problems, atleast in my area.

If only there were more lucky ones...Thank God you're ok!

[guardmom2008]

If only there were more lucky ones...Thank God you're ok!

Yes, I wish there were more lucky ones too. Thank You, that meant a lot to me.

[MbalmR]

Napper probably had no place else to go, or couldn't afford to move at the time. I find a great deal of irony in the fact that LaFleur couldn't be taken into custody because she "hadn't done anything yet," but Napper's son was in court for making a THREAT. Apparently, he hadn't done anything yet, either!!!! Why move on one and not the other?

Isn't it fairly common knowledge that schizophrenics despise taking their medication and routinely go off it?? We have an apartment in town that houses many people who suffer from schizophrenia, and the city moved a police officer into the building as a resident to keep an eye on things.

[octobersky]

I've been wondering the same thing. Napper's father had recently moved out to live in a nursing home, and she needed a roomate, so she invited Lafleur to stay. Once a person is in, it is VERY difficult to get them out. But no one was forcing Napper to stay...

Maybe Napper had no where else to go

[octobersky]

From the article:

"I say, 'Is Audrey here? Can I speak with her?'" Dixon said. "She said, 'Audrey's here but she's dead with a knife in her head.'"

[DexterKitty]

Napper probably had no place else to go, or couldn't afford to move at the time. I find a great deal of irony in the fact that LaFleur couldn't be taken into custody because she "hadn't done anything yet," but Napper's son was in court for making a THREAT. Apparently, he hadn't done anything yet, either!!!! Why move on one and not the other?

Isn't it fairly common knowledge that schizophrenics despise taking their medication and routinely go off it?? We have an apartment in town that houses many people who suffer from schizophrenia, and the city moved a police officer into the building as a resident to keep an eye on things.

My Mom has it and she has never once quit taking her meds.There are a lot of stereotypes involving mental illness' like this one. No two cases are the same.IMO... those cops were just slackers they could have figured something out, to put her in some sort of custody be it a mental hospital or police staion. They could have put her on a 72 hour hold if nothing else. They could have evaluated her, and prevented all of this.

[DexterKitty]

'She's here but she's dead with a knife in her head"? YIKES!!!

[Long Gone Day]

I think they should have done something.

[duster]

My Mom has it and she has never once quit taking her meds.There are a lot of stereotypes involving mental illness' like this one. No two cases are the same.IMO... those cops were just slackers they could have figured something out, to put her in some sort of custody be it a mental hospital or police staion. They could have put her on a 72 hour hold if nothing else. They could have evaluated her, and prevented all of this.

You're absolutely right DK. This happened in one of the shittier parts of an especially shitty town called Oshawa. If it had been happening in an upscale part of Toronto do you think the cops would have ignored the situation? No friggin' way...

[NOVSTORM]

My friend is on SSI and SS. She had to wait 4 years to get into a decent apartment but was forced to take a roommate becaue they had no 1 bedrooms apts availoable. The woman they put in with her was Skitzoid. She pushed her, stole her mail, wouldnt clean up afte herself and screamed at her. My friend has had several strokes and then this crazy bitch threatened to kill her. She had been calling the social workers and no one did a thing. She finally took after another teneant and the owners of the building got them to remove hjer but they just placed in her in with another senior citizen who9 is going to go thru the same thing, this woman called me and told me all kinds of crap about my friend and finally I told her that I was going to swear out a restraining order on her and for my friend as well and that when I did she would be put back in the institution..this is the only thing that made her quit. The cops wouldnt do a damn thing here either..and that is so wrong, this crazy woman had no busness even to be living outside of a controlled envirnomentbecause she is dangerous. It seems they have more rights then we sane people do. She had her children taken away from her and can never see them again because of things she did to them yet they move her in with a 67 yr old woman who is ill and has had strokes???? WTF.

[baroque1]

this reminds me of Betty Page the penup girl. She liked to stab old people too

[Town Without Pity]

This another one of those sad stories, the police were called to help and did nothing. Isn't that their job? I know there are good cops out there, don't get me wrong, I don't want hate mail, but so many times they walk away and let the abuse continue. This woman should have been taken in for a mental health check. Maybe it was to much paper work.

[RaRaRamona]

this reminds me of Betty Page the penup girl. She liked to stab old people too

She did?

[Lout_Rampage]

She did?

Well, she was institutionalized for stabbing her elderly roommate (or landlord, I forget which). I'm thinking there may have been two incidents.

[RaRaRamona]

Oh fun, I should read up on that.

[baroque1]

She did?

Yeah, and I should have written PIN-UP not pen-up

but heres a short description:


[SIZE=4]With no home in Florida, Bettie relocated to California at the invitation of her newly divorced and lonely brother, Jimmie. Foster reports that Bettie was not living with her brother by April of 1979, but instead in a trailer on property owned by an elderly married couple. One day, without warning, she approached the elderly woman and stabbed her. When the husband quickly came to his spouse's defense, she stabbed him as well. The elderly man was able to incapacitate Bettie with a blow to the head; luckily, the wounds inflicted on both husband and wife were non-fatal. Bettie was found mentally incompetent and committed without bail to the Patton State Hospital in Highland, California, but was released in under a year upon recommendation of her doctor.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=4]About 12 months later, at the age of 58, Bettie was placed by Westside Independent Services into the home of 66 year-old Leonie Haddid. Though Haddid described Bettie as a rather unpleasant roommate given to noxious cooking and long religious rants while locked in the bathroom, she had no clue as to her violent history. One night, after a day during which they quarreled, Haddid claims she woke to see Bettie straddling her, a knife posed in the air, hissing: "Don't scream. Don't shout. God has inspired me to kill you!" Bettie stabbed the woman over a dozen times before a defensive blow ended the attack, which, fortunately, Haddid survived. After standing trial for attempted murder in 1983, Bettie was ruled insane and sent back to Patton State, this time for ten years.[/SIZE]

[RaRaRamona]

Holy cow!

[endsleigh03]

Yeah, and I should have written PIN-UP not pen-up

but heres a short description:


[SIZE=4]With no home in Florida, Bettie relocated to California at the invitation of her newly divorced and lonely brother, Jimmie. Foster reports that Bettie was not living with her brother by April of 1979, but instead in a trailer on property owned by an elderly married couple. One day, without warning, she approached the elderly woman and stabbed her. When the husband quickly came to his spouse's defense, she stabbed him as well. The elderly man was able to incapacitate Bettie with a blow to the head; luckily, the wounds inflicted on both husband and wife were non-fatal. Bettie was found mentally incompetent and committed without bail to the Patton State Hospital in Highland, California, but was released in under a year upon recommendation of her doctor.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=4]About 12 months later, at the age of 58, Bettie was placed by Westside Independent Services into the home of 66 year-old Leonie Haddid. Though Haddid described Bettie as a rather unpleasant roommate given to noxious cooking and long religious rants while locked in the bathroom, she had no clue as to her violent history. One night, after a day during which they quarreled, Haddid claims she woke to see Bettie straddling her, a knife posed in the air, hissing: "Don't scream. Don't shout. God has inspired me to kill you!" Bettie stabbed the woman over a dozen times before a defensive blow ended the attack, which, fortunately, Haddid survived. After standing trial for attempted murder in 1983, Bettie was ruled insane and sent back to Patton State, this time for ten years.[/SIZE]

Never heard this.

[michelle8461]

This another one of those sad stories, the police were called to help and did nothing. Isn't that their job? I know there are good cops out there, don't get me wrong, I don't want hate mail, but so many times they walk away and let the abuse continue. This woman should have been taken in for a mental health check. Maybe it was to much paper work.

It doesn't surprise me that the cops didn't do anything. When my mother was hearing voices and thinking there were "hit men" after her hired by my brother, she tried to attack him and my teenage niece with a hammer. Cops were called and they said they couldn't do anything UNLESS she had actually made contact. She was violent...walls were busted...doors dented, luckily she only scared them. I had to drive up (in the middle of the night) to take her to the MH...even then they didn't want to keep her. I left her in the lobby.