Article content

By Catherine Solyom

MONTREAL — Guy Turcotte is not the same man who killed his two young children in 2009, a psychiatrist testified Thursday at a hearing on whether the former Montreal-area cardiologist should be released from hospital custody after being found last year to be not criminally responsible for the double murder.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Guy Turcotte has changed since killing his two children and should be released: psychiatrist Back to video

“There is no reason, either medical or in terms of the danger he poses, that he should stay in hospital,” said Dr. Louis Morrissette, who is testifying on Turcotte’s behalf.

Thursday is the fourth day of hearings to be held on Turcotte’s future.

[np-related]

Because of the not criminally responsible verdict, a special panel of five experts is hearing evidence on Turcotte’s likelihood of reoffending. The panel has three choices: release Turcotte outright; release him with conditions; or keep him detained at a psychiatric hospital.

Turcotte is being held at Montreal’s Philippe Pinel Institute, where Thursday’s hearing took place.