Alexandre Bissonnette was bullied in high school, the defence told the court in Quebec City Monday as it makes its case at sentencing arguments.
Bissonnette is facing up to 150 years in prison for killing six men at a Quebec City mosque.
The first person called to testify was one of his high school teachers, Lucie Coté, who told the court that Bissonnette was frequently bullied as a teenager.
“Alexandre is not a monster,” said Coté, who is now retired. She taught Bissonnette in grade 8 and grade 10.
She said he was soft-spoken, a quiet child who was bullied relentlessly as a teenager, teased in class and shoved in the hallways.
Coté said she cried when she learned he was accused of the mass murder and contacted Bissonnette's defence lawyer and offered to testify about her former student.
"He was my student," she told reporters. "Can you understand how a teacher feels when they see their student is in such a tragic situation? And he is the perpetrator? I had to ask myself how did he get into such a situation."
She urged Bissonnette to read, to write, and to become a model prisoner during his incarceration.
Coté also chose a book for Bissonnette to read that she hoped would "rebuild his soul" and that book was given to Bissonnette's lawyer.
She said she hopes her former student will be given a chance at rehabilitation.
The defence also called on psychologist Marc-Andre Lamontagne to testify. He told the court Bissonnette battled suicidal thoughts because of the bullying...and he wanted vengeance.
Lamontagne said Bissonnette had "grandiose fantasies" about it.
The court also learned that two months before the mosque attack, Bissonnette went to a Quebec City shopping mall, armed and ready to shoot others, then himself. He changed his mind in the underground parking lot.
Sentencing arguments for Bissonnette are expected to continue throughout the rest of the week.
Since Bissonnette is guilty of first-degree murder he will automatically be sentenced to life in prison.
The only factor for Judge Francois Huot to determine is how long Bissonnette will remain in custody before he is eligible for parole. The minimum term is 25 years, but it could be as long as 150 years if Huot decides Bissonnette must serve his terms consecutively.
