The double murder trial for Guy Turcotte has moved away from descriptions of the physical evidence, to the murky mental evidence of a killer's state of mind.
Dr. Jacques Talbot testified on behalf of the defence on Monday at Turcotte's trial for the double murder of his children.
Talbot was the first doctor to meet Turcotte when he was admitted to the Pinel Psychiatric Institute, and was his doctor of record for 152 days.
He first met Turcotte on February 26, 2009, one week after the two children were killed. Talbot said Turcot was suicidal and suffering from an anxiety adjustment disorder.
On the stand, Talbot said that Turcotte's first question was to ask if his children were still alive, and what had happened to them.
Previous witnesses have explained that because he had imbibed methanol, Turcotte may have been suffering from amnesia.
Talbot testified that when he told Turcotte that Olivier and Anne-Sophie were dead, Turcotte shut himself down emotionally. He diagnosed it as dissociation due to stress.
The doctor said he placed Turcotte on medication for depression, suicidal tendencies, and sleep difficulties.
On Feb. 27 -- one week after the slayings -- Talbot said Turcotte had reached a sort of breaking point and couldn't live anymore and wanted to commit suicide.
He noted he couldn't do it while at the Pinel Institute, a Montreal psychiatric hospital, but didn't rule out eventually killing himself.
Talbot described Turcotte as trying to insulate himself from his emotions. People do this, the psychiatrist explained, as a defence mechanism when one's emotions are simply too much to bear.
Turcotte began to immerse himself in complicated literature and penned a list of specific items to recover from the home where the slayings took place, including a sack of potatoes, a compact disc and a pepper mill.
Talbot confirmed what Turcotte has said, that much of his memories of Feb. 20, 2009 were scattered and he only remembered flashes.
In March 2009, Turcotte was still angry at his now ex-wife, Isabelle Gaston, over her infidelity. In April 2009, the suicidal thoughts were still present. One month later, he said his "life is over" and that "death would better."
Turcotte told the psychiatrist he deserved to suffer and was surprised at the support from his own family and the friendliness of staff at the institute.
While listening to the testimony Turcotte stared at the ground, not looking at the jury, the witness, or his lawyers.
A second psychiatrist is expected to testify on Turcotte's behalf as an expert witness to provide his opinion of Turcotte's state of mind.
Turcotte has admitted to killing his children, but pleaded not criminally responsible for murder.
With a report from The Canadian Press
