Decision sends bad message: ex-wife
‘I’m afraid he’ll get mad and come after me,’ Gaston says
Isabelle Gaston has often been disappointed in the justice system, and Wednesday’s decision to release Guy Turcotte less than four years after he stabbed their two young children to death was no exception.
Now, Gaston fears for the upcoming Crown’s appeal of her ex-husband’s verdict. Will the July 2011 jury decision that Turcotte was criminally not responsible for the deaths of Anne Sophie, who would have been 7 on Dec. 8, and Olivier, who would have been 9, be upheld?
“I’ve lost faith in the justice system,” Gaston said Wednesday outside the Philippe Pinel Institute, where a panel had just ruled to release Turcotte. “The message (this decision sends) is you can kill your wife because you’re sad or your kids because you’re upset and get away with it by saying you weren’t all there.”
Turcotte will be allowed to leave Pinel immediately, where he’s been held since the 2011 verdict, but must continue the psychotherapy he began in June, keep the peace and stay away from Gaston, her family and her spouse.
“He still poses a risk but that risk can be controlled if he’s supervised,” said lawyer Danielle Allard, commissioner of the panel. “It’s essential that his team be on hand if his state deteriorates.”
Turcotte will have another review before the panel, made up of a lawyer, psychiatrist and psychologist, in a year, or earlier if necessary.
Gaston, 40, who has spent the past several months researching jurisprudence, said the panel made the best decision given that its hands were tied legally.
“But it makes no sense that someone who killed two children can be free after less than four years,” she added.
“I’ll always be suspicious for the rest of my life.”
Turcotte, a former cardiologist, had behaved himself since being granted day passes from Pinel in June, and for the past five weeks he’d left the institution daily. Often, he was at his parents’ home overnight.
Given that there was no evidence presented Wednesday to suggest Turcotte is dangerous, the panel had no choice but to release him, his lawyer, Pierre Poupart, argued.
“You have this man’s word,” he said. “He’s serious, intelligent and thoughtful and is asking no more than to continue along his path to reintegration.”
But what has shattered Gaston’s confidence in justice is the fact lawyers like Poupart can hire psychiatrists to testify at trial and say whatever is necessary to influence the outcome, she said.
“A trial depends on five things: who you are and how much money you have, what experts you hire to testify, lawyers, judge and Crown,” she said.
In Turcotte’s case, defence experts testified that Turcotte suffered from an adaptation disorder. They said he was suffering from the breakup of his marriage, was devastated that he had been “replaced” by Gaston’s new lover and didn’t know what he was doing when he drank windshield wiper fluid before stabbing the children multiple times in their beds.
One of those experts, Louis Morissette, said Wednesday Turcotte has realistic goals, such as doing volunteer work and taking steps to get his medical licence back. Turcotte also realizes that he’s not ready for a romantic relationship just yet, Morissette said.
Turcotte, whose parents looked on, told the review panel he just wants to lead a normal life.
“I don’t think it’s possible with what happened,” he said slowly, in a soft voice. “I would like to accomplish more and do better, but it’s not easy.”
He said that if released from Pinel, he’ll continue his psychotherapy, whether ordered to or not.
“I want to do it and I will do it,” he said, adding he thinks every Quebecer could benefit from psychotherapy.
Turcotte, 40, has been housed at Pinel since the July 2011 verdict, but since June has had 80 outings, either accompanied by someone or alone. He’s done some volunteer work but has been turned down by several organizations because of his infamous name.
The outings caused some anxiety because of public outrage over his verdict.
“The challenge will be to manage the public,” he said about his release. “There are people who think all kinds of things about me, rightly or wrongly.”
Pierre Rochette, the psychiatrist overseeing Turcotte’s treatment, testified early in the hearing that he wouldn’t object to Turcotte being released and being treated as an out patient at another hospital. He said Turcotte has made progress in six months and now recognizes the role he played in the deaths of the children instead of blaming others.
Rochette said the recent killings of three children in Drummondville on a street bearing his name affected Turcotte deeply. The children’s mother, Sonia Blanchette, is charged with firstdegree murder in the case.
Gaston claimed Turcotte told the panel and his therapists what they want to hear.
“If he’s just making up a story and comes after me, who’s going to be responsible?” she said outside the hearing.
“If he doesn’t integrate into society well, I’m afraid he’ll get mad and come after me.
“I feel like they’re not getting the full picture”
Turcotte told the panel he has been around children of all ages during his outings.
“I wasn’t shaken by that,” he said. “Sure, it brought up memories and that made me sad.
“I found it more and more difficult to come back,” he said. “It’s more constrained and it was painful to be with other patients.”