Guy Turcotte testifies at murder trial

Guy Turcotte, the cardiologist accused of killing his two young children, has taken the stand at his trial in St. Jérôme Monday.

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Turcotte spoke about being bullied as a child and discussed the early days of his relationship with ex-wife Isabelle Gaston.

He described his parents as practicing Catholics who passed on their values of generosity and humility to their six children. 

Turcotte spoke softly and calmly, occasionally breaking down in tears.

Defence lawyer Pierre Poupart argued that Turcotte is not criminally responsible for the deaths of his two young children due to mental disorder, echoing the verdict handed down at Turcotte's first trial. 

"Without this mental illness, he would have never caused the deaths of his children," Poupart told the jury.

Poupart said that he will call witnesses as well as experts -- "doctors specialized in the examination of what goes
on in the brain."

He also reminded jurors they will need to reach a verdict based on the evidence and not on their emotions.

"Condemning a person who is not criminally responsible would shake the legal foundations and strike a blow to the integrity of the judicial system," Poupart said.  "It would be horrible to be condemned for acts that are not the
acts of a person of sound mind."

He warned jurors there are still things to see that are painful and that nobody, even Turcotte himself, can be insensitive to the facts of the case.

The defence lawyer also asked the jurors to not forget that "the children who were victims of this tragedy were also his children."

Described as caring father

The defence phase of the murder trial began Monday with testimony from Turcotte's brother Gilles who said that he and his parents initially believed that Guy Turcotte had died around the same time as the children. 

"We were crying for the three victims," Gilles Turcotte said.

Gilles Turcotte said his brother Guy later told him he "missed" his children and was "horrified" by what had happened.

He also expressed admiration for his brother Guy who he described as a caring father.

Last week, prosecutors wrapped up 11 days of testimony, which saw 29 witnesses testify.

Witnesses included a computer expert who reported that Turcotte conducted internet searches related to poisons and suicide prior to the deaths.

​He is being tried for a second time for murder in the death of his children Olivier, five, and Anne-Sophie, three, on Feb. 20, 2009. ​

-With a file from The Canadian Press