Van attack killer shows some empathy, psychiatrist concedes in trial

A psychiatrist retained by the defence concedes thatthe man who killed 10 people in Toronto's van attack has shown empathy in some rare instances since his arrest.

Dr. Alexander Westphal has said Minassian lacks empathy and does not understand the moral wrongfulness of killing 10 people, but sayscriminal responsibility is a legal opinion, not a psychiatric one.

The 28-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., has pleaded not guiltyto 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 of attempted murder.

His lawyer had said Westphal would be the only expert to say Minassian should be found not criminally responsible for his actions due to autism spectrum disorder, but the psychiatrist has stopped short of making that conclusion.

Westphal says Minassian was incapable of rational decisions onApril 23, 2018, the day of the attack.

Minassian has admitted to planning and carrying out the attack,leaving his state of mind at the time the sole issue at trial.