By Canadian Press

Expert says man accused of killing ailing wife had disturbed state of mind

Feb 7, 2019 | 1:15 PM

MONTREAL — A psychologist testifying at the trial of a man accused of murdering his ailing wife says the accused had a disturbed state of mind at the time of her death.

Michel Parisien took the stand today as the final defence witness at the second-degree murder trial of Michel Cadotte.

Cadotte told the jury Monday that he suffocated his wife, Jocelyne Lizotte, because he wanted to end her suffering. Lizotte, 60, was living in a long-term care centre with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease.

Parisien says he met with Cadotte four times last spring and administered tests demonstrating a state of distress that existed well before Feb. 20, 2017 — the day of the killing.

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The psychologist says Cadotte was caught between a desire to ensure his wife got the best care and her previously expressed desire not to live in such a condition. Parisien noted that a severe depression diagnosis from 2013 suggests Cadotte’s distress was long-standing.

On Wednesday, a psychiatrist testified Cadotte was suffering from depression that affected his ability to make decisions, but he wasn’t psychotic and knew right from wrong.

Under cross-examination Tuesday, Cadotte acknowledged that he was aware of what he was doing and the consequences of his actions.

A year before the killing, Cadotte had sought a medically assisted death for Lizotte but was told she didn’t qualify because she was not at the end of her life and could not consent.

The Canadian Press