TRIGGER WARNING: descriptions of murder and decapitation.

Nobody enjoys taking the bus. The food is terrible, it’s impossible to sleep, and the motion sickness can feel like you’re riding a rollercoaster. However, taking the bus is a mundane mode of transportation. No one imagines a bus ride becoming a horror story. Unfortunately, for the passengers of a Greyhound bus in July 2008, taking the bus has become a traumatic reminder of the night a man was murdered in front of them.

THE VICTIM AND THE ATTACKER

Timothy Richard Mclean was born in Manitoba and was described as a free spirit who had dreams to travel the world and become famous. He was a smart, young man with ambition. After dropping out of high school, he pursued a career in the carnival industry as a carnival barker. His job was to get people interested in the attractions and games. Because of Tim’s love of socializing and traveling, this job was perfect for him. He never imagined settling down until he was 22 and fell in love with British Columbia. However. because he was close with his family, he decided to visit them back home before his move. His friend offered to buy him a plane ticket, but he was perfectly happy to take the Greyhound bus. Unfortunately, he would never make it there.

Lee Vince was born in China and faced many childhood sicknesses. Despite this, he had a relatively normal life. However when he turned 40, his wife noticed he was acting strange. He didn’t sleep, cried often, and never ate. He began to tell her he saw and spoke to God. In 2005, his mental health plummeted; he divorced his wife and was institutionalized. This is where he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

BEFORE THE ATTACK

Though not much is known about schizophrenia, many people who are diagnosed are able to live fairly normal lives with therapy and medication. However, Li ignored his diagnosis for years. Before the incident, Li drifted from job to job where he continued to get fired for outbursts. He started to float from town to town by bus where he eventually bought a large hunting knife. Before he boarded the bus, he almost murdered another man who was innocently going about his life. His delusions told him in the voice of God that he was in danger. An evil alien would try to kill him. Li spent a few days sitting on a bench before he boarded the same bus as Mclean on July 30th 2008.

Mclean sat in the second to last row, put his headphones on and slowly drifted to sleep. A passenger by the name of Steven Allison watched as Li exhibited strange behaviors such as rocking back and forth, talking to himself, and wandering from seat to seat. Allison could tell Li was off, but he had no idea what was coming. Finally, Li decided to sit next to Mclean. He knew this was the man that God warned him about.

THE ATTACK

Moments later, Li finally snapped. He pulled his knife out and began to frantically stab Mclean. His screams drowned the sounds of The Return Of Zorro playing on the bus until his throat was cut. Then there was only silence while everyone turned to realize what was going on. Allison yelled for the bus driver to pull over. Passengers and children screamed and ran off the bus while Li continued to stab Mclean’s corpse. Allison saved over three passengers, and wanted to save Mclean, only realizing upon looking at his body that he was dead. It looked as if he was stabbed over 70 times in every part of his body. Blood stained the chairs and windows around the area. The driver and two other men attempted to get the knife away from Li, but were chased off the bus. The door was barricaded while Li continued his work. Li decapitated Mclean and displayed the severed head to the horrified passengers outside. He then started to severe his limbs and consume parts of his flesh, proudly displaying this act to his audience. During the attack, Li never displayed any emotion.

The Royal Canadian police arrived on the scene around 8:30pm. Li was still on the bus. Passengers were crying and vomiting on the roadside. The standoff began, and Li was only arrested after he attempted to escape the bus five hours later. Police were never able to recover Mclean’s heart and eyes. His ears, nose and tongue were found in Li’s pocket as a trophy. The crime scene was so gruesome that a RCMP officer committed suicide six years after the murder.

AFTER THE ATTACK

In March 2009, Li was found not criminally responsible on account of mental illness. He was admitted to the Selkirk mental health center until he was released in 2017. He now lives in Manitoba on absolute discharge. Li changed his name and no longer attends yearly reviews or receives supervision of any kind.

“He still did it, whether he was in his right frame of mind or not,” Carol DeDelly, mother of Mclean said after Li’s release. “There was nobody else on that bus holding a knife slicing up my child.”

15 years after the attack, many wonder if the Canadian justice system should have harsher sentences for murder. Many argue for the death penalty, especially in such brutal cases like this. Yes, Li was mentally ill, but a young man was murdered and his family will never recover. The witnesses still deal with PTSD. A passenger by the name of Marlene Gregory cannot travel by bus anymore or use kitchen knives. “I used to be the type to walk around and feel safe,” Gregory describes life after the traumatizing event. “I trusted people. And that’s gone.”

If we can learn anything from this horrific story, we can remember to always stay vigilant. Anything can happen anywhere in this disturbed world. Even on an ordinary bus ride.

My name is Mykie Hartley and I am currently taking Professional Writing. I am a barista at Starbucks and love making cute coffees! If you can’t find me, I’m usually reading, watching gory horror movies, listening to gross metal music or getting a new tattoo. I’m a lover of the weird and disturbing, and I hope you are too!