A Wellington man who stabbed his wife to death earlier this year believed he was securing them a place in heaven, a Rotorua High Court judge has ruled.
Simon Frank carried out the stabbing on his 58-year-old wife Petra on April 14, after being compelled to believe he was the Messiah and had been asked to carry out the killing by God, the court heard.
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Justice Pheroze Jagose said he was "incapable of knowing his actions were morally wrong", Fairfax reported.
Mr Frank was found not guilty of murder on account of insanity on September 27, and on Tuesday, at a judge alone hearing, that verdict was finalised.
Justice Jagose said Mr Frank had been taking medication for his bipolar disorder since 1987, and that it was clear his mental wellbeing had begun to unravel in the period leading up to his wife's death.
Evidence of that included his belief a member of his synagogue was a paedophile, his computer had been hacked and his neighbours were running a meth lab, Fairfax reports - as well as a perceived ability to read messages in the clouds.
He was allegedly having visions of the number three while travelling to Taupo for a holiday with wife Petra, which he thought meant the end of the world was coming in three minutes, hours, days or weeks.
Justice Jagose said it was clear Frank was suffering from "a disease of the mind" and was "convinced he had to kill his wife and didn't think it was wrong".
Newshub.
