Inquiry into Desmond family murder-suicide will look at mental health care

The Nova Scotia Judiciary has announced some details of the fatality inquiry it will hold into the deaths of Lionel Desmond and his family.

Desmond, his wife Shanna, their 10-year-old daughter, Aaliya, and Desmond's mother, Brenda, were found dead in their home in Upper Big Tracadie, N.S., on Jan. 3, 2017.

It was later determined that Desmond, a military veteran who served in Afghanistan, took the lives of his family members before killing himself.

The province's chief medical examiner, Dr. Matt Bowes, reviewed the case and recommended an inquiry. Justice Minister Mark Furey agreed.

"I think it's important to allow the inquiry to conduct their work. I'm very familiar with the circumstances of PTSD from a previous career and I've seen the impact that occupational stress injuries have on those employed as first responders, members of our law enforcement community and members of our Canadian Forces," he said Thursday.

"In these circumstances at this time, I believe it's appropriate to allow the inquiry to conduct its work and I look forward to the recommendations that the inquiry will ultimately present back to government."

What will the inquiry look at?

In February, Furey drafted the terms of reference. The terms were made public Thursday.

It will look at:

• The circumstances around Desmond's release from St. Martha's Regional Hospital in Antigonish, N.S., on Jan. 2, 2017, the day before he killed his family.
• Whether Desmond had appropriate access to mental-health services.
• Whether he and his family had appropriate access to domestic-violence services.

The inquiry will also look at if Desmond should have been allowed access to weapons, given his mental state.

Feds have pledged full co-operation, says Furey

Furey said the inquiry falls under the jurisdiction of the provincial Fatality Investigations Act. Furey said where Desmond was a member of the Canadian Forces, he's spoken with the federal minister of Veterans Affairs, who he said has pledged full co-operation.

Pam Williams, Nova Scotia's chief provincial court judge, will appoint a judge to conduct the inquiry, and the Public Prosecution Service will appoint a Crown lawyer.

The hearings will be held in the Guysborough Municipal Building, which is close to where the deaths occurred.

The judiciary will say who will preside and when it will start in the coming weeks. It said it might stream the inquiry online.