Flat Earth, holotropic breathing & 3D-printed guns: Three topics discussed at attempted murder sentencing hearing in BC Supreme Court

Daniel Hackl suffered mental health breakdown leading to firing at ERT members outside Chilliwack home, an incident leading to trauma to officers

April 9, 2026

As lawyer Aaron Burns was presenting the Crown’s sentencing submissions in the attempted murder case of Daniel Hackl in BC Supreme Court on April 1, he mentioned something that gave Justice Jasmin Ahmad pause.

“Flat Earth,” Ahmad said.  “This is the second or third reference to it.”

Burns explained that belief in flat Earth wasn’t necessarily something being attributed to Hackl, but it was one in a long line of conspiratorial or delusional ideas Hackl may have entertained as he descended into what is known as “mental decompensation.” 

“Again, it's very difficult to understand exactly what was happening with him,” Burns said. “What we know for sure is that something very terrible was happening.”

Hackl sat in courtroom 203 behind his lawyers wearing a blue dress shirt and tie. He had a shaved bald head, clean-shaven with severe facial features and a blank expression throughout. Two older people, presumably his parents, sat behind him.

The now 32-year-old pleaded guilty to attempted murder with a firearm on Jan. 12, 2026, in connection with a 10-hour standoff with police on Victoria Day three years ago outside his house in Sardis.

On May 22, 2023, RCMP officers responded to a report of an armed and distraught man holed up in a house at the corner of Queen Street and Knight Road in Chilliwack. Inside the home, Hackl had dozens of firearms, included some 3D printed ones.

After five hours of standoff the incident escalated with Hackl firing gunshots at members of the Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team (ERT). ERT officers are among the most highly trained to deal with the most potentially dangerous situations. This incident was so serious, that two ERT officers supplied victim impact statements about the trauma they have suffered from being shot at that night.

That standoff ended when the house went up in flames, presumably intentionally caused by police but not confirmed, and Hackl was able to be arrested.

Mental decompensation?

Burns made it clear in court that the diagnosis of mental decompensation certainly doesn’t easily explain what went on in Hackl’s mind before or during the standoff and shooting. The condition is difficult to understand let alone figure out the precise conditions that led up to it with Hackl.

Essentially, mental decompensation is defined as a major deterioration in mental and psychological functioning of an individual who previously managed mental illness with a reasonable degree of stability. It’s a mental breakdown.

The court heard that Hackl’s breakdown was best described by the doctor who examined him as being caused by holotropic breathing combined with legal poppy seeds and/or marijuana use. Holotropic breathing is a practice using rapid, controlled breathing to induce altered states of consciousness in a therapeutic setting.

Some of the symptoms included belief that he was a messianic figure, could read the consciousness of others, he was the creator of the world and had some role in the spiritual existence of humanity. Unfortunately, while suffering from delusional thoughts and impulsivity, Hackl also had a lot of guns. 

“He was a lawful gun owner,” Burns told the court. “He had his PAL, a firearms licence. He had accumulated a number of firearms and ammunition. Those were lawful.”

But the 3D printed guns sort of floated between legal and not legal at the time. They are now definitely illegal thanks to a relatively recent entry in the Criminal Code in 2023.

Section 102.1 of the Code discusses “possession of computer data.” It’s complicated legalese, but essentially it is illegal to possess data that pertains to a firearm and a device capable of being used with a 3D printer or similar system to manufacture a firearm.

ERT officer trauma

Burns read from victim impact statements from two ERT officers at the incident that night. 

ERT officers deal with the most dangerous situations police face. One of the officer said he had years of experience helping people in crises and protecting the community, yet he realized how close he came that night to losing everything. 

The other officer was called in from being off-duty with a child who had been crying. He had to deal with thoughts about if he had been killed how that would have been his final thoughts.

“They both describe sleepless nights, they describe an impact on their family,” Burns said. 

“With respect to police officers, we can forget that they are people, that are human beings who have families, who have responsibilities at home.”

Burns said Crown is asking for a sentence of five years in prison. The case was put over after the April 1 hearing to April 13 to fix a date for the sentencing decision.

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Paul J. Henderson
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