Father who killed 3 children 'delusional'

A man accused of killing his three children in Merritt, B.C., was delusional at the time of the slayings, a psychiatrist testified Monday as the defence wrapped up.

The evidence shows Allan Schoenborn was becoming increasingly mentally ill in the time leading up to the killings in April 2008, Dr. Roy O'Shaughnessy testified in B.C. Supreme Court.

Schoenborn has already admitted he stabbed his 10-year-old daughter to death and suffocated his two sons, aged eight and five, but he has pleaded not guilty to three charges of first-degree murder.

O'Shaughnessy told the trial in Kamloops that on the night the children died, Schoenborn thought his delusions — that his children were being sexually abused — were real. And he believed the only way to prevent their suffering was to kill them, O'Shaughnessy said.

O'Shaughnessy also said Schoenborn thought his wife was going to run away with a lover.

The Crown claims Schoenborn killed his daughter and sons in an act of revenge against their mother.

The judge, who is hearing the trial without a jury, must determine whether Schoenborn had a mental disorder at the time of the killings.  

A psychiatrist for the Crown will testify Tuesday.