The mother of the teen now charged with attempted murder in Sunday’s daytime stabbing of a six-year-old boy near a bus stop in downtown Halifax says she’s “been trying desperately for years to get her the help she needs.”
In a social media post Monday, Andrea Hancock wrote that her daughter, Elliott Chorny, “is a severely unwell person,” and needs treatment.
Hancock said she loves her daughter “deeply, but due to her unchecked mental health, I haven’t known her for a long time.”
The family has tried getting Chorny treatment, the 19-year-old’s mom said in the Facebook post.
“Unfortunately, in Nova Scotia you can’t force someone to take medication against their will, they can’t be committed anymore apparently and (despite) trying everything, Elliott did not get the help that she needed and the little boy has suffered needlessly despite our efforts to try and protect the community.”
The mom said she contacted police and doctors trying to get help for Chorny, who is also facing the charge of possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace in relation to Sunday’s stabbing.
“I kept telling everyone that she was a danger if she isn’t on medication and said I’m scared that something will happen to someone if she loses touch completely,” she wrote.
I kept telling everyone that she was a danger if she isn’t on medication
That’s the reason Chorny, who is listed in court documents as having no fixed address, wasn’t living at home, said her mother. “I have another child that needs protection, and I felt she was too unpredictable, and we didn’t feel safe.”
Hancock, who did not respond to an interview request, confirmed in her post what police have been saying since Sunday — that Chorny did not know the boy she allegedly stabbed repeatedly around 1:20 p.m. Sunday near a bus stop close to Scotia Square, a mall in downtown Halifax.
“She didn’t know the child and from what information I received, the poor child just happened to be around Elliott while she was having a psychotic break,” said her mom.
The stabbing victim’s identity is protected by a publication ban. One of the boy’s parents was “instrumental in ensuring the suspect remained on scene and the victim received immediate medical attention,” according to a CBC report.
“As I can imagine, it happened very quickly and with no warning and so the parents of the boy should not be blamed,” Hancock said. “This is a big reason why I’m making this post. In no way at all is it the fault of the child or the child’s family so please stop judging and knocking the (boy’s) support system as they are going to need their strength to get through this. My heart goes out to the boy and his family and I wish I could change it.”
She didn’t know the child
A poster who identified themselves as Chorny took to the online forum 4Chan less than a week before the knife attack, saying, “My social anxiety is unbearable. I rely on others to accompany me every time I step out into the world.”
She was seeking people who would walk with her in silence.
“I know it’s a lot to ask, but I figure some of you shut-ins (who are not in employment, education, or training) could benefit from mutual support,” Chorny wrote.
She talks about “being closed off from the world” for many years, and being “heavily dependent on my mother. But that changed when I became homeless, and was thrown into the world, on my own. I was kicked out for my anger issues, which stemmed from a feeling of powerlessness over my own life. In addition to feeling trapped inside myself, I was isolated in a rural community without transportation. I felt a complete lack of control over my own life. I could not get a job or make friends in my community, so (every day) I felt hopeless and closer to suicide.”
Chorny wrote that “after becoming homeless, I have endured more bullying and public humiliation since school, which has made it harder to step out of my shell. I am an easy target because I am severely maladjusted. I have immense trouble with my walking. I have also had several police calls over smashing plates when attempting to eat in public.”
Halifax Regional Police charged Chorny earlier this month with the Jan. 27 assault of Katie Lines, a psychiatrist who works at the mental health day hospital in Halifax.
Lines did not respond to an interview request.
“I can confirm the assault took place at the QEII (Health Sciences Centre),” Brendan Elliott, who speaks for N.S. Health, said in an email.
“The doctor is not commenting publicly as the matter is currently before the courts.”
Chorny references the psychiatrist in her public postings on 4Chan, where she also posted a copy of her Alberta birth certificate to verify her identity to readers six days before the stabbing.
“Hope Katy Lines sees my body when they peel it off the pavement.”
Chorny goes on to question why she wasn’t getting help when she needed it. “Where is my … social safety net? Criminals get more support than law abiding citizens.”
Chorny laments her lack of incentives. “I’ll die or go to jail,” she wrote. “Those are my only options.”
In her often-violent 4Chan posts, Chorny threatens to cut her own fingers off. “Something needs to die,” she wrote. “The stagnant corrosive energy inside is … festering and killing me.”
She also talks about jumping off a bridge. “I am not actually steering my soul,” she said. “This is Satan… It’s not an enjoyable experience… I don’t revel in evil.”
In one post, Chorny wishes she was dead.
“I apologize in advance if I live and do something awful,” she wrote.
The little boy who was stabbed Sunday was taken to hospital in what police called life-threatening condition. They could not provide an update on his status early Tuesday.
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