VANCOUVER -- During a police interrogation after his arrest on suspicion of double murder, Rocky Rambo Wei Nam Kam told police he’d rather be playing video games.
Kam is on trial for the murders of 64-year-old Dianna Mah-Jones and her 68-year-old husband Richard Jones.
On Friday, Kam’s lawyers called to the stand a clinical psychologist who testified the accused killer spent so much time playing violent video games it could have blurred the lines between fantasy and reality in his mind.
Dr. Edward Shen spent about 11 hours interviewing Kam over several sessions at the North Fraser Pretrial Centre.
“Mr. Kam, because of his long-time indulgence in gaming, seems to have developed a skill of entering into his gaming consciousness at will, perhaps as another strategy of avoiding the real world,” Dr. Shen testified.
Kam, who pleaded not guilty, has already taken the stand in his own defence and testified that he killed the couple.
According to Dr. Shen, Kam used similar language when discussing video games and the grisly crime — and may not have understood the consequences of his actions.
Dr. Shen suggested Kam may have instead been under the impression the consequences would be similar to what happens during a video game.
Crown spent the afternoon attacking Dr. Shen’s credentials and suggesting that as a clinical psychologist he is not qualified in forensic psychology and his opinions on Kam’s state of mind do not carry much weight.
Crown is expected to continue its cross-examination on Monday.
All of Dr. Shen’s testimony took place during what is known as a voire dire — a trial within a trial — and the judge will have to weigh how much of it, if any, is admissible as evidence.
