Richard Bain showed signs that he might have been faking, or not telling the truth about his mental state, according to a psychiatrist called to testify by the Crown.

Bain is accused of first-degree murder in the shooting death of lighting technician Denis Blanchette.

He was killed while standing outside Montreal's Metropolis concert hall on the night of Sept. 4, 2012, while the Parti Québécois celebrated its election win inside.

Psychiatrist Dr. Joel Watts was appointed by the court to perform an assessment of Bain's criminal responsibility, and on Wednesday he was called to testify about his findings for the prosecution.

Watts, the court has heard, disagrees with the defence psychiatrist's hypothesis that the accused murderer was suffering from a psychotic delusion on the night of the deadly shooting.

'Suspicious' information

Watts told the jury that he met Bain three times in 2015, and during their sessions the accused murderer brought up a drug called Cymbalta out of the blue, "when I was asking about something completely unrelated."

He testified that Bain insinuated the antidepressant could have affected him on the night of the shooting and told him, "When you're on Cymbalta, you can't remember things. Your brain isn't functioning."

When Bain brought that up without any prompting, Watts said it was a "classic thrusting forward" — a red flag for forensic psychiatrists that means a patient could be feigning his mental illness.

In his testimony, Watts also referred to an interview with Bain's family doctor, Dr. Stan Van Duyse.

He said that Duyse recalled a conversation he had with Bain a few weeks after the attack.

Duyse said Bain told him he was "high, out of control" or "high as a kite" after taking the Cymbalta.

"It was another example of Mr. Bain putting out there that this behaviour could potentially be blamed on him taking some dose of something," Watts testified.

"As a forensic psychiatrist, I find that information suspicious, to say the least."

Richard Bain is accused of first-degree murder in the 2012 death of Denis Blanchette, a lighting technician. (Radio-Canada)

Little evidence of an overdose?

Earlier in the trial, Bain told the jury he recalled taking up to six antidepressant pills — possibly Cymbalta or Effexor — hours before the shooting.

The defence psychiatrist, Dr. Marie-Frédérique Allard, testified that she does not believe Bain's actions were the result of intoxication, although it is her opinion that Bain showed signs of an overdose the next morning, during a police interrogation.

Watts told the court he disagrees with that hypothesis as well.

He said he believes Bain's drowsiness the following morning, during a police interrogation, was simply the result of a lack of sleep, and not a symptom of an overdose.

Defence lawyer Alan Guttman (2nd from left) consults with defence psychiatrists Dr. Marie-Frédérique Allard (far right) and Dr. Henry Olders. (Radio-Canada)

'No one will ever know'

The defence is arguing that Bain should not be held criminally responsible because of a mental disorder.

In the final page of the defence psychiatrist's report on Bain's mental state on the night of the alleged murder, Allard writes: "Unfortunately, I cannot explicitly pronounce myself on a psychotic episode at the time of the criminal acts, but there is a probability (more than 50%) that the delusional ideas had motivated his behaviours."

Earlier Wednesday, the prosecution grilled Allard about her lack of certainty.

He asked if she felt pressured to diagnose Bain with a mental disorder.

Allard said that wasn't true.

She said she wishes she knew for certain what was running through Bain's mind on the night of the shooting, "but no one will ever know."

She added, "What I can say is that it's more likely that Bain's actions were the result of mental illness, more likely than simply anger."