Serena Perry inquest sees video statement by male psychiatric patient
A.A., one of the last people to see Perry alive, says she was acting 'alter-minded' that night
A coroner's inquest into the 2012 hospital death of Serena Perry watched a videotaped police statement Friday by a young male psychiatric patient, who was one of the last people to see Perry alive.
The 19-year-old man, whose identity is protected by a publication ban and is referred to only as A.A., was initially considered a suspect in Perry's death, but was later ruled out and subsequently died last fall, the Saint John courtroom heard.
Perry, 22, an involuntary patient who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, was acting very strange, "beyond what she was."
She was acting "crazy," like she was "alter-minded," and said something about, "It's coming," so he decided to go back to the psychiatric ward, he said.
He saw B.M. back on the unit around 10 p.m., when a couple of nurses asked them if they had seen Perry, he said. B.M. told the nurses Perry was in the "theatre" and a while later, a code blue medical emergency was called.
After that, B.M. seemed uneasy and distraught; he was breathing fast and tearing up, said A.A. It was like B.M. was having a panic attack, he said.
Perry's body was discovered in the amphitheatre, which is located in another part of the hospital, with a blue hospital gown wrapped loosely around her neck.
The inquest is being held to determine the facts surrounding Perry's death. The five-member jury may also make recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths.
A.A. told police he didn't know B.M. well, he had only met him three days before Perry's death. He wasn't close to Perry either, he just saw her around the psychiatric unit.
He had seen B.M. and Perry kiss and hug in public — sometimes in the halls, in front of hospital staff, and sometimes out front of the hospital, in the smoking area, he said.
B.M. had told him they had been sexual, he said.
When the three would go out to smoke, they would mostly talk about how they were feeling, A.A. told police. They never fought or argued, he said.
Three weeks have been set aside for the inquest, which is scheduled to resume on Monday morning.