Hearing to determine if Udo Haan not criminally responsible for wife’s death, Kitchener explosion

A hearing is underway at the Kitchener courthouse to determine if Udo Haan is not criminally responsible for the death of his wife Edra Haan, who was found in the aftermath of the 2018 house explosion in Kitchener.

Shortly after 8 a.m. on Aug. 22, 2018, their home at 56 Sprucedale Crescent exploded and caught fire.

Edra Haan was found dead in the backyard.

Her husband, Udo, was seriously hurt.

Two neighbouring homes were left with structural damage and eventually had to be demolished. A number of other homes were also damaged in the blast.

Weeks after the murder, Udo Haan was charged with first-degree murder and three arson-related charges.

On Wednesday morning, when asked how he pleaded to the four counts, Haan’s lawyer responded: “The accused admits to the underlying facts that constitute the offence.”

Haan then responded: “Yes.”

Udo Haan is seen in this undated photo.

In an agreed statement of facts, court head that Udo Haan was increasingly paranoid in the months leading up the house explosion. He believed his wife was having an affair and was also being followed by people who were after him.

Haan had extra surveillance cameras installed at his Sprucedale Crescent home and in his car.

He also tried to kill himself in May 2018 and ended up in hospital.

By the summer of 2018, Udo and his wife of 40 years were in the process of separating.

The agreed statement of facts goes on to say Udo decided to kill himself and Edra.

On Aug. 22, 2018, he used a rope to strangle Edra sometime around 5:30 a.m.

Udo Haan also opened a drop line in the basement so the home began to fill with natural gas, which the Ontario Fire Marshall later determined would have caused the explosion.

Haan also poured gasoline on Edra’s bed and used a lighter to ignite it.

Court heard from a psychiatrist who assessed Udo in December 2019 at the request of the defense.

Dr. Giovana Valadares de Armorin Levin stated that Udo described how he was feeling before the explosion, saying he was exhausted, frightened, on alert and waiting to be killed. Adding, that there was no place where he felt safe.

“In my opinion, Mr. Haan was extremely tormented in his beliefs,” Dr. Levin told the court. “Had Mr. Haan not been in a highly psychotic state, in my opinion, he would never have engaged in the offending behaviour.”

On Thursday, another psychiatrist who examined Udo Haan will take the stand on behalf of the prosecution as the hearing continues.