Richard Bain knew killing was wrong, but was following God's plan, defence psychiatrist says
Murder trial for 2012 Parti Québécois rally shooting hears accused may have bipolar disorder
On the night of the shooting, Richard Bain understood that killing was wrong, but that didn't stop him because he believed he was carrying out a mission for God, a psychiatrist for the defence told the court.
"Even if he knew that killing is wrong. For him, this notion did not apply, because God was asking him to do something," said psychiatrist Dr. Marie-Frédérique Allard, who was called to testify by Bain's defence.
Allard believes that "it is more likely than not" that Bain was psychotic the night of the deadly shooting and that he thought he had been sent to protect the anglophones and kill the separatists.
The psychiatrist told the jury it's her opinion that Bain was suffering from a delusion.
- CBC's complete coverage: Richard Bain murder trial
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Bain is accused of first-degree murder in the Sept. 4, 2012 election-night shooting that left Denis Blanchette dead and another man, Dave Courage, seriously injured. They were shot outside Montreal's Metropolis nightclub around midnight, while the Parti Québécois celebrated its election victory inside.
The defence is arguing that Bain is not criminally responsible for the shooting because of a mental disorder.
The prosecution contends the shooting was premeditated and motivated by the fact that Bain could not vote that day.
'Kill as many separatists as I could'
Allard said both of the times that she saw Bain not long after his arrest in 2012, he was clearly in a psychotic state.
During one session on Nov. 9, 2012, Bain was afraid of being recorded, so he refused to answer Allard's questions out loud, and instead wrote down his responses.
Allard read from her report in court, repeating what Bain told her: "The plan was to kill as many separatists as I could."
"If inside, if Madame [Pauline] Marois could be seen, I could've killed her," Bain told Allard during their meeting.
Allard told the jury Bain said his mission was cut short because, "Jesus Christ stopped it."
Based on testimony from colleagues, friends and family, Allard said it's evident that Bain always a law-abiding person in the past, with no violent history.
She told the jury Bain told her that he took medication hours before the shooting to give him the "guts" to carry out his mission.
Allard said she also believes it's likely that Bain suffers from bipolar disorder.
Possible overdose of medication
Earlier in the trial, Bain told the court he took a handful of anti-depressants around 7 p.m., roughly five hours before the shooting.
The following morning, a police interrogation video shows a sleepy Bain in custody telling police he's confused and doesn't understand why he's there.
Based on what she observed in that video, Allard said Bain "looks like someone who was intoxicated, or who is coming down from some substance."
She said she does not believe he was faking the symptoms, and cited a toxicological analysis of Bain's blood the day after the shooting.
The court heard that the report mentions the presence of two antidepressants: Effexor and Trazodone.
While Allard said she believes Bain was showing signs of an overdose, she did not link his actions the night of the shooting to the medication he had taken.
"I don't think the thing he did was the result of intoxication," Allard testified.
In earlier testimony, Bain told the court he believed he took an anti-depressant called Cymbalta the night of the shooting, but he later added that it could have accidentally taken Effexor instead.
Allard is expected to continue her testimony for a third day on Friday.
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