Kachkar knew he was wrong, Crown says
Man accused of first-degree murder could have slowed snowplow, but sped up instead, jury hears
A barefoot man may have been mentally ill when he stole a snowplow and killed Toronto police Sgt. Ryan Russell, but he still knew what he was doing was wrong, a prosecutor says.
“This is a terrible tragedy. It is also first-degree murder,” Crown Attor- ney Christine McGoey told a jury in her final arguments Friday.
Richard Kachkar, 46, intended to kill or cause bodily harm he knew was likely to kill Russell, 35, as he hit him on Avenue Rd. on a snowy early morning two years ago, she said
“Mr. Kachkar made a decision to accelerate and not brake,” McGoey argued at Kachkar’s first-degree murder trial. The defence has called three top forensic psychiatrists who testified Kachkar was not criminally responsible by reason of being psychotic when he stole the snowplow on Jan. 12, 2011. “We agree there was a mental disorder of some kind,” McGoey told Ontario Superior Court. “Our position is it’s a matter of degree.” McGoey argued Kachkar, despite his erratic behaviour in the days before the crime, made rational decisions as he took a bus from St. Catharines, leaving his estranged wife and two children, and checked into a Toronto homeless shelter. McGoey suggested suicide as a possible motivation for his two- hour wild ride while police were in pursuit.
“Mr. Kachkar is not unaware of these events. We suggest he engineered them,” the prosecutor said.
He drove into a Maserati car dealership, perhaps to show his power over a wealthy target, she said. He smashed cars and yelled angrily at passersby. He mentioned Facebook, seeming to court notoriety, she said.
The jury is to begin deliberating early next week.