Guy Turcotte murder trial: Prosecution paints portrait of man in control

Guy Turcotte was in control of his actions and deliberately killed his two children to punish his wife for leaving him, Crown prosecutor René Verret said Wednesday in his closing arguments in the former cardiologist's first-degree murder trial.

Turcotte is accused of stabbing to death his two children, Olivier, 5, and Anne-Sophie, 3, in February 2009.

Turcotte has admitted to killing his children but has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His lawyers argue the 43-year-old should be found not criminally responsible by way of mental disorder.

Turcotte testified he drank windshield washer fluid on Feb. 20, 2009 with the intention of killing himself and decided to kill his two young children to spare them the pain of finding his body.

Verret contended Wednesday that Turcotte only drank the washer fluid after killing the children.

The presence of blood on washer-fluid bottles retrieved at the scene by investigators points to this conclusion, Verret said.

Verret said a medical assessment of Turcotte on the night of the killings found he drank methanol no more than 90 minutes before his arrival at hospital.

That would have been after the children were stabbed, the Crown prosecutor told the court.

Manner calm, 'in control,' prosecutor says

Verret worked to persuade the jury Wednesday that the former doctor was in control of his actions, pointing to Turcotte's assertion that he knew he was hurting his son.

The stab wounds on both children were concentrated in the areas of the chest and abdomen, which Verret said wasn't the act of someone dying or out of touch with reality.

Verret said the first psychiatrist to see Turcotte after the killings said the man didn't have trouble speaking or remembering, and his manner was calm and in control.

Several psychiatrists who evaluated Turcotte also concluded that he hadn't lost contact with reality, nor did he show signs of psychosis, Verret said.