LA LOCHE SHOOTING
Teen has array of mental disorders
The teenager who killed four people in La Loche last year suffers from half a dozen mental disorders and should be tested for brain damage, says a psychiatrist.
Dr. Mansfield Mela, a forensic psychiatrist commissioned by the youth’s defence lawyer, testified during the teen’s sentencing hearing in Meadow Lake provincial court on Thursday.
Mela said the teen, who fatally shot two teen brothers in a home and then opened fire at La Loche Community School on Jan. 22, 2016, appears to have brain functions that “are not adequate or optimal.”
He pleaded guilty in October to two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of brothers Dayne and Drayden Fontaine, two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of teacher’s aide Marie Janvier and teacher Adam Wood, and seven counts of attempted murder.
Because he was 17 when he went on his shooting rampage, he cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Mela diagnosed the youth with six mental disorders: developmental disorder; conduct disorder; major depressive disorder; cannabis use disorder; parent-child relational problems; and post-traumatic stress disorder. At the time of the shooting, he would have been affected by all but post-traumatic stress disorder, which has manifested as a result of the events on that day, Mela said, telling court the teen experiences flashbacks of shooting the Fontaine brothers “which are quite incapacitating for him.” He said the teen does not appear to have post-traumatic stress disorder related to the shooting in the school.
Mela said he suspected the teen had fetal alcohol spectrum disorder because of his low intellectual functioning and poor school performance. However, when he interviewed the teen’s mother about whether she consumed alcohol during her pregnancy, the information was “inconclusive,” he said.
Mela ordered tests to see if the teen had Fragile X syndrome, a genetic condition that causes developmental problems, but those came back negative. Tests for other genetic conditions also came back negative.
As part of his efforts to diagnose the teen, Mela reviewed his medical records and talked to his family about his medical history. He learned the teen was taken to hospital shortly after he was born because he had turned blue. Mela recommended a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test of the teen’s brain to see if any damage was done by this incident.
He described the teen as “simple” and “impressionistic” and said his mind was “played upon” by videos he watched online of school shootings.
“He began to believe that he could actually do this,” Mela said. “Usually most people’s moral fibre would cause them to hold back. He seemed not to be able to do that and decided he was actually going to shoot up the school.”
Mela said he asked the teen several times why he carried out the shooting, but did not get an answer.
“He consistently indicated that he wasn’t thinking. He did not know why he wanted to do what he did,” Mela said.
The closest the teen came to explaining himself was to say that he became upset after killing the Fontaine brothers and this fuelled his anger as he went into the school.
Mela said if the youth has to spend time in an adult correctional facility, he would fare better at the Regional Psychiatric Centre in Saskatoon than the federal penitentiary in Prince Albert.
Mela’s testimony is in contrast to remarks delivered by a psychiatrist and psychologist who testified for the Crown earlier in the week.
Child psychiatrist Dr. Declan Quinn told court the teen did not have a psychosis and could not be conclusively diagnosed with any mental disorders.
Similarly, clinical psychologist Dr. Katelyn Harker said the teen has cognitive deficiencies, but no disorders.
Later Thursday, court heard from one of the shooter’s aunts, who similarly can’t be named to protect the identity of her nephew. She said he didn’t enjoy school and would argue with his mother about going; he went because he was forced to, not because he wanted to.
She told court her nephew had no close friends, no father figure, was not involved in organized sports or activities and wouldn’t engage people in conversation. She said she had never seen him act violently.
The sentencing is expected to continue Friday with testimony from a psychologist on behalf of the defence and perhaps a statement from the teen himself, if he chooses to make one.
The judge will eventually decide whether to sentence the teen as an adult, which would mean a term of life in prison, or as a youth, which carries a maximum term of six years in custody and four years under supervision in the community.
When that decision will be handed down remains to be seen; a date for closing arguments has not yet been set.
He consistently indicated that he wasn’t thinking. He did not know why he wanted to do what he did.