Maor Attar, the young man accused of killing his 14-year-old sister Shirel in Cote St. Luc last month, will undergo a full psychiatric evaluation before his trial goes any further.

The accused was not in court on Wednesday, leaving his defence attorney and Crown prosecutors to make arrangements for a clinical analysis of Attar's capacity to understand the crime he is accused of committing.

Defence attorney Daniel Lighter says his client hears voices, and had a letter from a psychiatrist saying he could not attend court this week. Lighter believes there is now evidence Attar may suffer from a serious mental illness.

"He has gone through psychotic episodes, he hears voices. He's a very sick young man. Even at the age of 18, it appears he's advanced in terms of his mental illness," said Lighter.

Attar was initially charged in his hospital bed while recovering from several undisclosed injuries.

Transferred to Pinel Institute

Officials at the Riviere-des-Prairies pre-trial jail say they could not care for Attar while he awaited trial, and transferred him to the Philippe Pinel Institute where he could be seen regularly by a psychiatrist.

If Attar does have schizophrenia, Lighter said he will make an insanity plea as his defence.

"It's not criminally responsible, which translates in simple terms to not knowing right from wrong," said Lighter.

Lighter says he has spoken to Attar's family, and they understand his condition.

The accused is currently medicated and under treatment, and could technically be found fit to stand trial, unless experts determine he was unstable when the crime was committed.

Prosecutor Helene di Salvo said the Crown will wait for a psychiatric evaluation before decided whether or not to send Attar to trial.

"It depends if we contest the conclusion of the report but it's too early to say because I don't know what will be the conclusions of the report," she said.

Brutal attack

Shirel Attar was attacked in her home on Aug. 9.

Her mother and sister arrived home around 6:30 p.m. to find Shirel bleeding from multiple stab wounds, and the girl was pronounced dead at the scene when emergency crews arrived.

Maor Attar was found a short distance from the house several hours later suffering from wounds that police said at the time may have been self-inflicted.

The next day Attar was charged with murdering his sister.