Victim and accused in fatal Edmonton corn maze stabbing were on group home outing, friend s
“He was heavily involved with Narcotics Anonymous,” Jackson said in an interview. “He was a pretty pro-social guy. He was an outstanding person to be a friend with, honestly. I never put it past him he would get himself in this kind of predicament”
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A patient at an Edmonton psychiatric hospital says he is stunned after learning his friend was charged in a deadly stabbing at the Edmonton Corn Maze
Michael George Ferzli, 41, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after 53-year-old Joseph Farnsworth was stabbed to death at the popular Parkland County attraction Tuesday night. Both men were under the authority of the Alberta Review Board after being found not criminally responsible (NCR) for past assaults due to mental illnesses.
Chando Jackson, an NCR patient at Alberta Hospital Edmonton, said he became close with Ferzli in addictions recovery.
“He was heavily involved with Narcotics Anonymous,” Jackson said in an interview. “He was a pretty pro-social guy. He was an outstanding person to be a friend with, honestly. I never put it past him he would get himself in this kind of predicament.”
Ferzli — who is diagnosed with schizophrenia and anxiety disorder — was found NCR for assaulting a patient and a security guard at an Edmonton hospital in December 2018. He was previously under review board authority for a 2008 assault on his brother, but was ultimately discharged in 2013.
Ferzli was granted a conditional discharge to a group home after a review board hearing in October 2023.
At the time of the Corn Maze homicide, Ferzli was living in a group home in Edmonton’s Allendale neighbourhood, Jackson said. He believes Ferzli and Farnsworth lived in the same building.
Jackson — who has been in and out of Alberta Hospital since being found NCR for assault and break and enter in 2012 — said people in group homes are often taken on supervised outings to places like the corn maze to help them reintegrate into the community.
Usually, no more than four to six group home residents go on outings at a time, Jackson said.
“I feel awful for the people who were running the outing.”
Jackson said Ferzli was an important support in his ongoing recovery.
“He was somebody that I would call, say, if I were having cravings. Just somebody I would check in with regularly. If I was struggling in any way, he was somebody that I would call.”
The two had recently talked about issues Ferzli was having with his medications.
“He was brought back (to Alberta Hospital) for some kind of medication review,” Jackson said. “He was having problems with his sleep, he needed more sleep.”
Backlash against NCR patients feared
Some NCR patients and lawyers worry about the impact the homicide could have on the Alberta Review Board system.
By law, the board is obligated to grant patients the least restrictive conditions compatible with public safety. Jacqueline Petrie, an Edmonton mental health lawyer, has repeatedly pushed back on what she sees as a conservative swing on the board, which she says has been more reluctant to grant privileges and releases to NCR patients in the wake of the Matthew de Grood case.
Petrie previously argued the review board has been subject to political interference by a UCP government intent on blocking de Grood’s release — an argument dismissed by the Alberta Court of Appeal.
“There is no doubt this incident (at the corn maze) will set things back for NCR persons in this province,” Petrie said in an email “The (review board) is an extremely cautious board. Those found NCR move very slowly through the system, sometimes too slowly for effective reintegration back into society.”
“No doubt, this incident will be used as justification for continuing with this very slow and cautious approach and will be applied broadly,” she added. “The reality of the matter is that there are many success stories of NCR persons safely reintegrating back into society with no repeat criminal incidents. But those stories don’t make the news. Only tragic ones like this do.”
Jackson echoed those concerns.
“Everyone’s a little concerned … that this could reflect poorly on every other NCR, but every other NCR case is so different.”
Jackson is appealing the 2012 decision deeming him NCR, arguing he suffers from alcoholism, not a mental illness. Jackson’s most recent review board decision lists his diagnoses as severe alcohol use disorder, stimulant use disorder and personality disorders.
Jackson says he was found NCR in a brief hearing after he lied to a psychiatrist about having a psychotic illness. At the time, he did not understand that being NCR entails indefinite supervision and no guarantee of a full discharge.
Ferzli remains in custody and is due in court in Stony Plain on Sept. 4
