Chan anxious after using magic mushrooms
Concussions led to depression, mother tells murder trial
Soren Christianson says Thomas Chan’s behaviour started to change several hours after their group of friends consumed magic mushrooms.
“Uncharacteristic,” Christianson said when asked to describe his friend’s behaviour during the early morning of Dec. 28, 2015. “He became anxious.” Christianson was one of four friends of Chan to take the stand as Chan’s second-degree murder, attempted murder and aggravated assaulted trial continued in Superior Court of Justice in Peterborough on Tuesday. Chan has pleaded not guilty.
The 21-year-old was charged by Peterborough police after his father, gastroenterologist Dr. Andrew Chan, was found stabbed to death in his Haggis Drive home. Dr. Chan’s partner, Lynn Witteveen, suffered multiple stab wounds and was airlifted to a Toronto hospital in critical condition. She survived the attack.
Through witnesses, the court heard how six of Chan’s friend’s ended up at his mother’s house on Dec. 27, in the winter of 2015. At some point, the group left in two cars and stopped to smoke marijuana at Crestwood Secondary School before going to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs game at St. Louis Bar and Grill.
All of the witnesses testified Chan didn’t smoke marijuana with them. Christianson remembered an early conversation
Chan had with his mother, Rosalia Vestano, about feeling lethargic when he smoked marijuana.
“He just didn’t want to use it at that time,” Christianson recalled.
The friends returned to Chan’s house after the hockey game, and at some point the idea of taking magic mushrooms was brought up.
“It was simply spontaneous because we were all together,” Christianson testified.
The group, which the court heard was now down to five, pulled some money together. Christianson said he and Dylan Purves went and purchased the magic mushrooms. Christianson said he did not know how much they purchased but said the baggie had about a baseball-sized amount of magic mushrooms in it.
Earlier, Daniel Zahradnik testified the amount of magic mushrooms to be the size of his fist. He later agreed with Chan’s lawyer, Joleen Hiland, that they likely purchased one ounce.
Both testified they were unsure of the exact amount each consumed. However, Christianson said Chan reached into the bag later on for some more.
“Thomas remarked they were not effecting him and had some more,” Christianson said.
One of the group, Nikolaus Nemeczek, decided not to partake in the magic mushrooms, and he later drove them back to Crestwood, and to the Armour Hill lookout.
“I remember Thomas crying. They seemed like happy tears,” Christianson said, adding that Chan made a remark about the beauty of the stars.
On the way back to Chan’s mother’s home on Denure Drive, Nemeczek dropped Zahradnik at home, and the remaining four friends hung out in the basement of Chan’s mother’s home.
Christianson said by this time the height of the effects of the magic mushrooms had worn off for at least him and Purves. He said he became puzzled when Chan became anxious, and wanting to know where he should sleep.
“You don’t typically ask where to sleep when you’re in your own home,” Christianson said, adding that Chan asked him to touch his arm and forehead.
“He was warm and pale,” he said.
Christianson added that Chan started making trips from downstairs to upstairs. At one point, Chan asked him to go upstairs to his room. Christianson said he agreed and while upstairs Chan started talking about doing mediation.
“I was starting to feel weird and uncomfortable with what was going on,” he explained. “Things were escalating.”
The two returned downstairs where Chan made a call to Zahradnik. He testified earlier that he received two FaceTime calls from the guys between 1:30 and 2:30 a.m.
“I didn’t really know why they were calling,” Zahradnik said, explaining that nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Christianson testified Chan wanted to call to make sure Zahradnik was all right. Chan asking people if his friends were all right became a theme in the early morning hours of Dec. 28, according to Christianson.
“I said I am scared and he ran upstairs,” Christianson said were the last words he said to Chan in the house.
Chan then went upstairs and yelled “you’re the devil” to his sister and mother before taking off down the road to his father’s house on Haggis Drive. As Chan’s mother testified on day one of the trial, Christianson said he and Vastano’s boyfriend, Jeff Phillips, picked her up halfway down Denure, and drove to Haggis Dr. Christianson said Chan was outside of his father’s house pacing back and forth. Vastano got out of the car.
“He was belligerent, yelling f— you you’re the devil,” Christianson remembered.
They had a coat for him, and since Chan wasn’t taking well to his mother’s presence, Christianson said he gave Chan the jacket.
“To me he sounded like a child with a fairly calm voice,” Christianson said, noting he was trying to console his friend.
But Christianson said Chan wanted to fight him.
“He was snarling at me,” he said, remembering Chan picking up a rock and posing like he was going to sprint at him.
Christianson said he kept facing Chan but backed away toward the car.
“I was afraid for my life,” he said.
Christianson will return to the stand Wednesday for cross-examination.
On the opening day of the trial Monday, Vastano testified her son’s mental health progressively deteriorated as his concussions mounted.
“He became, in my opinion, depressed — lacked motivation and concentration,” Vastano testified.
Vastano testified her son started playing contact rugby for the Peterborough Pagans around the age of 10. He continued playing throughout high school, and his talents led him to represent both the province and Canada. But during this time on the field, Vastano said her son suffered up to eight concussions.