Second chance after killing

DAY

“I had a feeling, like a sixth sense, that something dreadful was going to happen to my daughters, before the tragedy happened. In fact, I was the danger, but I did not know it. »

These words are those of Alice (fictitious name), a mother of two young girls of whom she had joint custody with her ex-husband. 

The thirties had a job in the health field, an apartment and a loving family. She had no criminal record and did not use any hard drugs.

Nothing seemed to predestine her to one day carry the label of “child killer”. 

< p>The one whose identity is protected by the court, however, committed the irreparable in the spring of 2020. She went to her ex-spouse's house and stabbed her two primary-aged daughters in the abdomen, before returning to the house. weapon against her. The eldest died, while the youngest survived. 

“In my head, it was over. My children were in danger, it was my last day on earth and people were coming to torture and kill us,” Alice said in an interview with our Bureau of Investigation at the psychiatric hospital where she spent the last two years.

Killing for love

“I thought I was going to take my girls with me rather than someone hurting them. There was nothing rational. I did it like a robot, as if it was a mission that I had to accomplish, ”she continues.

Isolated due to the health constraints caused by the pandemic, Alice was not well . She was in psychosis without knowing it. 

She was reading the Bible. She saw crosses in the sky. She was talking with her dead mother. She purified her dwelling, which she believed to be overrun with spirits, with sage.

During the heyday, Alice believed that those close to her were lying to her about their identities, that radio and television were talking to him and that Donald Trump wanted to inject him with bleach.

“It comes on slowly, it’s sneaky. You don't realize you're losing your mind. You feel in control of what you do,” she describes.

Even after the tragedy, it took her a few months to realize what she had done.

< p>“She had zero violence in her, not enough to face the world we live in, in fact,” says Alice's older sister, whom we met separately.

But what was the trigger of this drama? Schizoaffective disorder caused by stress, according to his psychiatrist.

Free after two years

After two years in a mental institution, Alice was released on parole last month and lives in an apartment. Too fast, you say?

“Society wants people to pay. It's worse than the Middle Ages as a mentality. The world should not be asking where the individual has failed, but where society could improve,” Alice's sister philosophizes.

Even if “there is always a risk of failing “, the Mental Disorder Review Board is convinced that Alice “convincingly demonstrates that she is ready to collaborate and that she wants to begin social reintegration”.

A second chance that the young woman describes as a real “rebirth”. 

AN AVOIDABLE DRAMA 

In the eyes of many, the death of a little girl could have been avoided if Alice had received the help she needed.

Although separated from the father of her daughters for a few years, the young woman was still terrified by her ex-spouse.

“She always had to do what he wanted. Since the age of 18 that she lived this, she knew nothing else. Without help, she went crazy,” sums up her older sister.

Alice lived through bullying and constantly received threats by text message. She contacted the police on several occasions, but either she withdrew her complaints or the files were closed without further action, according to documents consulted by our Investigation Office.

Disturbingly, a person familiar with the toxic relationship told the police a few years before the tragedy: “I'm afraid that something deplorable will happen to [Alice] and I believe that Quebec has no no need for another Guy Turcotte family drama. It is quite possible to avoid this by taking the necessary measures”.

A year and a half of waiting

Alice also asked to see a psychologist, to no avail. “At the CLSC, the girl told me that there was a year and a half of waiting. I came out of there with the motton in the throat after having emptied my bag in front of someone who doesn't give a damn about it”, she says.

Extreme stress, insomnia, psychological violence: Alice had hoped that the situation would eventually improve, but it only got worse. 

“It can happen to anyone. Your brain has a limit at some point. I lost my mind completely and lost my children,” she notes.

“It's a shame that sometimes patients have to commit crimes to get care. “Laments psychiatrist Mathieu Dufour.

For law professor Emmanuelle Bernheim, this highlights the flaws in our health, support and social services system. “There are people who are crying out for help, who want care and haven’t gotten it,” she concludes.

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