Aleu Mapiou is accused of murdering Dusko Culibrk at the Canberra Hospital. Photo: Claire Fenwicke.
The teenager accused of murdering a fellow patient at the Canberra Hospital’s mental health ward has been found fit enough to enter a plea and committed for trial.
Aleu Mapiou and Dusko Culibrk were both patients in the Adult Mental Health Unit at the hospital in November 2022.
When police arrived at the hospital early in the morning of 13 November, staff were attempting to revive Mr Culibrk. However, their efforts were unsuccessful and the 38-year-old died.
Mr Mapiou, then 18, was arrested and charged with murder over his death.
A suppression order over the names of both men involved was later lifted, allowing their identities to be reported.
The teen appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court again over the phone on Tuesday (13 June), announcing himself by saying, “Hello, I’m here”.
His Legal Aid lawyer, Ketinia McGowan, said she understood a question about her client’s fitness to plead to his charge had previously been raised in the matter.
But she said a forensic psychology report had found no evidence of him not being fit enough to plead so she invited Magistrate James Lawton to discover that he was.
She also confirmed he maintained his not guilty pleas to charges of murder and two counts of preventing the carrying out of a forensic procedure.
These latter two counts alleged he hindered an authorised person and a police officer when they were taking swabs of his hands and fingernail scrapings on 12-13 November 2022.
Magistrate Lawton read the psychology report and found that Mr Mapiou was fit to plead, committed him to the Supreme Court for trial on the murder charge and remanded him in custody.
The first time his matter will appear in the higher court to begin organising the trial will be on 22 June.
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