SAINT-JEROME -- Guy Turcotte's lawyer is asking the jury tasked with determining his fate to judge the accused as they would like themselves or their own relatives to be.
Pierre Poupart says his client, charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the slayings of his son Olivier, 5, and Anne-Sophie, 3, benefits from the presumption of innocence.
As he began his closing arguments today, Poupart told the 11 jurors to guard against oversimplifying the facts and suggested not to take everything as black or white.
The ex-doctor has admitted to causing the children's deaths, but his lawyers argue the 43-year-old should be found not criminally responsible by way of mental disorder.
The accused testified at the trial he drank windshield washer fluid on Feb. 20, 2009, in order to kill himself and decided to murder his children to spare them the pain of finding his body.
Poupart reminded jurors the burden of proof with regard to Turcotte's guilt rests solely on the shoulders the Crown.
On the question of mental disorder, the veteran lawyer told them the defence would only have to demonstrate it was more likely than not that Turcotte was in such a state the night of the slayings.
The jurors heard from a total of 42 witnesses, including several experts.
