RCMP analyst testifies N.B. shooting accused had videos about conspiracies, demons

FREDERICTON — An RCMP computer expert says the man accused of murdering four people in Fredericton two years ago had videos on his computer from a conspiracy theory website that included information on how to identify demons.

Cpl. Aaron Gallagher told jurors Monday he seized a computer with four hard drives as well as a GoPro camera from Matthew Raymond’s apartment in the days following the August 2018 killings.

Raymond, 50, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of Donnie Robichaud, Bobbie Lee Wright and police constables Robb Costello and Sara Burns.

Gallagher said the seized hard drives contained hundreds of thousands of images, including adult pornography and material from conspiracy websites. He said said most of the videos were of biking and the outdoors, but in at least one of them, Raymond appears to be complaining about noise around his apartment complex.

Raymond has pleaded not guilty. His defence team has admitted their client shot the victims from his apartment but argue he was delusional and paranoid at the time of the crimes and should be found not criminally responsible because of a mental disorder.

During cross-examination of Gallagher, defence lawyer Nathan Gorham displayed a number of screenshots from Raymond’s computer that showed lengthy mathematical calculations containing the numbers 33 1/3 and 666. 

Gallagher testified that many of those calculations were done in the weeks prior to the shootings.

Gorham said Raymond had been watching YouTube videos posted by “Rob Lee Truth” and played one of the videos found on Raymond’s computer for the court.

The 30-minute video described how demons could be spotted by the way they look and the numbers and symbols they use — namely 33 1/3 and 666 — and how to get to those numbers from many other combinations of numbers.

“It’s the devil mocking you,” the narrator stated.

“Serpents talk in numbers and words,” the voice on the video added. “The devil wants to hold us and our children hostage.”

Last week, the court was shown pictures of documents, calendars and other items in Raymond’s apartment that had the numbers 33 1/3 and 666 written on them.

The video also accuses Disney of hiding demonic symbols and numbers and blames the entertainment industry and Hollywood for “misleading our children.” It wraps up by quoting various passages from the Bible.

Gorham also had Gallagher confirm information found on the computer showing that Raymond had email conversations with Rob Lee.

GoPro videos shot by Raymond show him wrapping his firearms in a garbage bag and strapping them to his bicycle before riding to a remote area and conducting target practice at a water bottle and a target propped up against a bush.

Gorham will continue his cross-examination of Gallagher, the 35th witness called by the Crown, on Tuesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct.5, 2020.

Kevin Bissett, The Canadian Press