Courtroom in tears as lawyer recites woman’s last words
Psychologist testifies victim’s mother shouldn’t be held criminally responsible
An Edmonton woman believed she was acting morally when she killed her daughter and was therefore not criminally responsible, a forensic psychologist testified Friday.
Andrew Haag said mother Christine Longridge believed her son, Michael, was the Messiah and that she needed to kill her daughter, Rachael, 21, and planned to kill herself.
Defence lawyer Dino Bottos said he is tormented by the case.
Family and friends cried in the courtroom as he read Rachael Longridge’s last words as told to him by her mother: “Don’t do it, mommy ... Please don’t, mom.”
Christine Longridge, 51, told her lawyer that “Rachael had to go. Someone had control of me. God made me kill.”
Bottos called Haag as a witness in court Friday, arguing the mother’s mental disorder was severe enough that she did not know killing her daughter was morally wrong.
His client has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, but admitted stabbing her daughter to death in 2016.
Haag, who works at Alberta Hospital, said Christine Longridge is despondent and “feels terrible,” and frequently tells staff: “I don’t know how I can carry on.”
As she listened to testimony Friday, she wiped away tears, looked at her fingernails and sipped water.
Crown prosecutor Sony Ahluwalia wrapped up the Crown’s case Wednesday after entering an agreed statement of facts, a medical examiner’s report and a recording of Christine Longridge.
Haag had a different diagnosis for Longridge than a colleague who testified earlier he believed she had schizoaffective disorder bipolar type, although the impact is the same. Haag believed she has bipolar 1 with psychotic features.
Longridge first was hospitalized for mental illness in 1999, showing symptoms of bipolar disorder, and believing that her son was the Messiah.
From 1999 to 2014, she was reasonably compliant in taking her medication, but when her husband died of cancer on Dec. 1, 2015, her mental state deteriorated.
Haag said the night before Christine Longridge killed her daughter, she wasn’t sleeping and was pacing the floors. She was also not intoxicated, despite some of her claims that she used cocaine and cannabis.
Haag also has experience in assessing malingering — faked illness — and testified due to the length of time the symptoms were consistently present that he does not believe she was feigning her illness.
Two moments during her interview with police did make Haag question whether she would qualify for being not criminally responsible.
When she said, “I just snapped,” Haag said that could point to an anger motive. She also mentioned punishment, which could point to guilt; however, Haag said in context her statements were part of the delusion.
Further evidence that she was delusional and did not know her actions were morally wrong was that she did not attempt to hide the killing and she did not attempt to flee from police.
Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Wayne Renke is expected to make a ruling Wednesday.