Killing of Tim McLean

The Bus Attack

On the evening of 30 July 2008, Tim McLean was returning home to Winnipeg after working at a fair in Edmonton. He was seated near the rear of Greyhound bus 1170. After a rest stop in Brandon, a new passenger, Vince Li, moved to sit beside him. McLean, who had fallen asleep with headphones on, was attacked without warning shortly after the bus departed Erickson, Manitoba, at 6:55 p.m. Li produced a large knife and began stabbing McLean in the neck and chest. The bus driver, hearing screams, pulled the vehicle to the side of the highway and fled with all other passengers. The driver and two other men attempted to re-enter the bus to rescue McLean but were chased away by Li, who slashed at them from behind the locked doors. Li then proceeded to decapitate McLean and display the severed head to those outside. For several hours, Li remained on the bus, mutilating the body and consuming parts of McLean's flesh.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police from Portage la Prairie received a report of the stabbing at 8:30 p.m. and arrived to find a standoff. Other passengers, the bus driver, and a truck driver had prevented Li from escaping by using a crowbar and hammer after he attempted to drive the bus away, which had been immobilized by the driver. The passengers were huddled at the roadside, some crying and vomiting. Police negotiators and a tactical unit were summoned. During the standoff, officers observed Li eating parts of the body and heard him say he had to stay on the bus forever. At 1:30 a.m. on 31 July, Li attempted to flee by breaking a window, leading to his arrest. He was subdued with a Taser, handcuffed, and placed in a police cruiser. Parts of McLean's body were found in plastic bags on the bus, and his ear, nose, and tongue were discovered in Li's pockets. McLean's eyes and a part of his heart were never recovered and are presumed to have been eaten. The passengers were interviewed at the Brandon RCMP detachment and arrived in Winnipeg at 3:30 p.m. on 31 July.

Tim McLean

Timothy Richard McLean Jr. was born on 3 October 1985 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He grew up in Winnipeg and Elie, Manitoba. At the time of his death, the 22-year-old was working as a carnival barker, a job he had been performing at a fair in Edmonton. His death left a young family behind. On 21 December 2008, five months after McLean's murder, his girlfriend Colleen Yestrau gave birth to his son. A custody dispute ensued between Yestrau and McLean's parents over guardianship of the boy. The child began living with the McLean family in January 2015, and in February 2016, the family won full custody. McLean's mother, Carol de Delley, has described her grandson as a gift from God sent by her son. Due to disputes with the agency supervising visits and a separation within the family, the boy has remained with McLean's mother, with neither Yestrau nor Timothy McLean Sr. having seen him since 2018 and 2016, respectively.

Vince Li: Background and Mental Health

Vincent Weiguang Li was born on 30 April 1968 in Dandong, Liaoning, China. He was a sickly child with developmental delays, learning to walk and talk around age five and starting elementary school at nine. His health and academics improved in high school, and he later graduated with a bachelor's degree in computing from the Wuhan Institute of Technology in 1992. He worked as a software engineer in Beijing, where he met and married his wife, Anna, in June 1995. Li immigrated to Canada on 11 June 2001 under the Federal Skilled Worker Program and became a Canadian citizen on 7 November 2006. He held various menial jobs in Winnipeg, including work at Grant Memorial Church, where he was baptised after converting to Christianity. According to his court psychiatrist, Stanley Yaren, Li reported hearing the 'voice of God,' which told him he was the 'second coming of Jesus' destined to save people from an alien invasion.

Li's undiagnosed schizophrenia led to severe auditory hallucinations and paranoid delusions. The voice commanded him to travel across Canada, often disappearing for days. Believing he was under threat from alien infiltrators, Li began carrying a buck knife for protection, the same weapon used to kill McLean. His wife and friends noted he would go days without sleep or food, crying and describing visions. They attempted to get him medical help, but he refused due to a fear of hospitals. The couple separated in March 2005. Li's mental state deteriorated further, leading to a period where he was found wandering Highway 427 in Ontario, malnourished and dehydrated, stating he was 'following the sun' at God's command. He was examined at William Osler Health Centre but was not formally documented with a mental illness at that time. He and his wife divorced after a failed reconciliation attempt when she saw his condition had worsened. In the months before the attack, Li was fired from a Walmart job and left his ex-wife a note saying not to look for him.

Key events in Li's life leading to the attack include:

• June 2001: Immigrates to Canada from China.
• Fall 2004: Works at Grant Memorial Church in Winnipeg and converts to Christianity.
• March 2005: Separates from his wife.
• September 2005: Found wandering Highway 427 in Ontario by police, malnourished.
• 2006: Becomes a Canadian citizen and moves to Edmonton.
• June 2008: Makes an impulsive one-day trip to China.
• July 2008: Fired from Walmart. Leaves his ex-wife a farewell note on 24 July.
• 28-30 July 2008: Travels by bus from Edmonton to Manitoba, sells his laptop in Erickson before boarding the fateful bus.

Legal Proceedings and Verdict

Vince Li was charged with second-degree murder. At his first court appearance in Portage la Prairie, he reportedly uttered only the words 'Please kill me.' His trial commenced on 3 March 2009. Li pleaded not criminally responsible on account of a mental disorder, meaning he accepted the physical acts of the killing but argued he could not form the necessary criminal intent. Defence and prosecution psychiatrists, including Stanley Yaren, agreed that Li was suffering from acute, untreated schizophrenia at the time of the attack. Yaren testified that Li believed McLean was a 'force of evil,' a demon or alien in disguise that posed an imminent threat. Li felt compelled by the voice of God to kill McLean or be killed himself, and he mutilated the body to prevent it from coming back to life. Both the defence and prosecution supported a finding of not criminally responsible and recommended involuntary commitment to a mental health facility. On 5 March 2009, Judge John Scurfield accepted the psychiatric assessment and found Li not criminally responsible for the murder. Li was remanded to the high-security section of the Selkirk Mental Health Centre in Selkirk, Manitoba.

Treatment and Gradual Release

Following the verdict, Vince Li began psychiatric treatment at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre. His path to release was gradual and overseen by the Manitoba Criminal Code Review Board. His treatment included the antipsychotic medication olanzapine, and he was reported to be responding well. The board incrementally granted him increased freedoms based on assessments that he no longer posed a significant threat to public safety. This process unfolded over several years, beginning with supervised outdoor walks within the facility in June 2010. By May 2012, he was granted temporary supervised passes to visit the town of Selkirk. In a 2012 interview with the Schizophrenia Society of Canada, Li publicly apologized to McLean's mother, stating he was sorry for the pain he caused and could never forget the Greyhound bus. He acknowledged he likely would never be forgiven.

The progression of Li's privileges and eventual discharge is detailed in the following timeline:

• 3 June 2010: Granted supervised outdoor walks within the mental health facility.
• 17 May 2012: Granted temporary supervised passes to Selkirk.
• 6 March 2014: Allowed to begin unsupervised visits to Selkirk, starting at 30 minutes.
• 27 February 2015: Granted unsupervised day passes to Winnipeg with a cellphone.
• 8 May 2015: Released to live in community group homes.
• February 2016: Legally changed his name to Will Lee Baker and won the right to live independently.
• 10 February 2017: Granted an absolute discharge by the Manitoba Criminal Code Review Board, ending all legal obligations and monitoring.

In February 2017, the review board ordered Li's absolute discharge, concluding the weight of evidence did not substantiate that he posed a significant threat. His doctors reported he understood the need to continue his medication and treatment independently. This final release meant Li had no criminal record and was no longer subject to any legal restrictions or monitoring by the justice system. He faded back into society, his whereabouts unknown to the public and McLean's family.

Aftermath and Public Reaction

The horrific nature of the crime and the legal outcome had wide-ranging consequences. In the week following the attack, Greyhound Canada pulled a series of nationwide advertisements that included the slogan 'There's a reason you've never heard of bus rage.' The incident sparked public fear and led to calls for increased security on intercity buses. The McLean family filed a lawsuit seeking $150,000 against Greyhound, the Attorney General of Canada, and Vince Li, though as of July 2018, Timothy McLean Sr. stated the suit was 'in limbo.' Two passengers who witnessed the beheading, Debra Tucker and Kayli Shaw, filed a separate lawsuit in February 2011 seeking $3 million each in damages from Li, Greyhound, the RCMP, and the Canadian government, but they dropped the suit in July 2015. The trauma extended to first responders. RCMP Corporal Ken Barker, one of the first officers on the scene, died by suicide in July 2014, with his family stating he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The case became a focal point for debates about the not criminally responsible defence and victim rights in Canada. McLean's mother, Carol de Delley, became a vocal advocate, criticizing a system she felt prioritized the needs of the perpetrator over the victim and public safety. She argued that the review board's mandate to choose the 'least onerous' option for the patient was flawed, especially for violent crimes. The family began lobbying for 'Tim's law,' proposed legislation that would prevent individuals found not criminally responsible for violent crimes from being released into the community, effectively mandating incarceration for life with no possibility of parole. The family sold T-shirts and other items to support their lobbying efforts and held rallies to press the government. De Delley has stated that while she raised awareness about the NCR defence, she felt she failed to achieve sufficient legislative change to protect others.

Key Statistics and Case Details

The killing of Tim McLean involved specific details about the location, timeline, and legal actions that define the case. The attack occurred approximately 30 kilometres west of Portage la Prairie on the Trans-Canada Highway. The bus was numbered 1170, travelling from Edmonton to Winnipeg via the Yellowhead Highway. The standoff with police lasted from approximately 8:30 p.m. on 30 July until Li's arrest at 1:30 a.m. on 31 July. The legal proceedings were swift, with the trial beginning on 3 March 2009 and the verdict delivered just two days later on 5 March 2009. Li's total period of court-ordered detention and supervised release spanned nearly nine years, from his arrest in July 2008 to his absolute discharge in February 2017. The case prompted immediate civil actions, with the McLean family's lawsuit filed for $150,000 and the passengers' suit initially seeking a combined $6 million. The following table outlines key numerical and factual details from the case.

Questions about Killing of Tim McLean

What happened to Tim McLean on the Greyhound bus?

On 30 July 2008, 22-year-old Tim McLean was attacked by fellow passenger Vince Li while riding Greyhound bus 1170 near Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. Without warning, Li stabbed McLean in the neck and chest with a large knife. After the driver and other passengers fled, Li decapitated McLean, displayed the head, and then mutilated and cannibalized parts of the body during a hours-long standoff with police. McLean's eyes and part of his heart were never recovered and are presumed to have been consumed by Li.

Why was Vince Li found not criminally responsible?

Vince Li was found not criminally responsible for murder on 5 March 2009 after psychiatric assessments concluded he was suffering from acute, untreated schizophrenia at the time of the killing. The court accepted that his mental disorder rendered him incapable of forming the criminal intent required for a murder conviction. Li believed McLean was a demon or alien posing an imminent threat and that he was commanded by the voice of God to kill him. Both the defence and prosecution psychiatrists supported this diagnosis, leading to his commitment to a mental health facility instead of prison.

When was Vince Li released and under what conditions?

Vince Li's release was a gradual process overseen by the Manitoba Criminal Code Review Board. He was released from the secure wing of the Selkirk Mental Health Centre to community group homes on 8 May 2015. After legally changing his name to Will Lee Baker in February 2016, he won the right to live independently. On 10 February 2017, the review board granted him an absolute discharge, meaning all legal obligations, conditions, and monitoring were terminated. The board concluded he no longer posed a significant threat to public safety.

What is 'Tim's law' that McLean's family advocates for?

'Tim's law' is a proposed piece of victim protection legislation championed by the family of Tim McLean. It aims to reform the not criminally responsible defence by putting victim rights ahead of those of the perpetrator. The proposed law would prevent individuals found not criminally responsible for violent crimes from being released into the community. Specifically, it would mandate incarceration for life with no possibility of parole for those deemed the most violent and unpredictable. The family has lobbied the government and raised funds through merchandise sales to promote this legislative change.

Did any passengers sue after witnessing the attack?

Yes, two passengers, Debra Tucker and Kayli Shaw, filed a lawsuit in February 2011 against Vince Li, Greyhound, the RCMP, and the Canadian government. They each sought $3 million in damages for being exposed to the traumatic beheading. However, they dropped their lawsuit on 14 July 2015. The McLean family also filed a separate civil suit for $150,000 against Greyhound, the Attorney General of Canada, and Vince Li, but as of July 2018, Timothy McLean Sr. stated that lawsuit was 'in limbo' and unresolved.

What was Vince Li's background before the killing?

Vince Li was born in China in 1968, earned a computing degree, and worked as a software engineer in Beijing before immigrating to Canada in 2001. He became a Canadian citizen in 2006. In Canada, he held various jobs including church custodian, forklift operator, gas station attendant, and newspaper delivery person. He converted to Christianity and was baptised but began experiencing severe auditory hallucinations, believing he was the 'second coming of Jesus.' His undiagnosed schizophrenia led to erratic behaviour, including wandering highways and refusing medical help, culminating in the attack on Tim McLean after he was fired from a Walmart job weeks prior.

Sources and further reading

• Killing of Tim McLean (Wikipedia)
• Mother of Tim McLean recalls his murder and use of not ... (aptnnews.ca)
• Family of man killed on Greyhound bus pressing for 'Tim's ... (cbc.ca)
• Canada man who beheaded bus passenger granted freedom (bbc.com)

Checked by the Nosy Mag desk. Last updated 2026-10-19.