OTTAWA, Ont. – The Ottawa man charged with first-degree murder in the death of his 53-year-old mother has been ordered to undergo a 30 day psychiatric assessment.  

Rene Goudreau, 30, is accused of setting the fire that killed his mother in her west end apartment Tuesday. He made a brief court appearance Wednesday morning following a session with a forensic psychiatrist. His lawyer says he has a history of mental illness, has been in and out of the Royal Ottawa Hospital and has never been able to hold a job.

Fire crews were called to a high rise around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday where a fire had broken out inside a first floor apartment at 90 Woodridge Crescent, near the Bayshore Shopping Centre.

The body of a woman was discovered in the bedroom of the unit. Police have not released the name of the victim, but neighbours identified the woman as Lucie Goudreau.

This is Ottawa’s sixth homicide of 2012.