An expert witness for the defence at the trial for the man accused of killing four members of a Muslim family and seriously injuring and orphaning a fifth is outlining possible explanations for Nathaniel Veltman’s actions and demeanor around the time of the London, Ont., vehicle attack.
Veltman is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder after he drove drove his truck “pedal to the metal” into the Afzaal family on June 6, 2021.
Questioning of psychiatrist Dr. Julian Gojer, the second witness in the defence’s case after the accused himself testified, began last week with an overview of his qualifications to demonstrate his expertise in mental health and the impact of hallucinogens.
Gojer believes that Veltman, 22, has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and a “malfunctioning” personality (in this case involving paranoid ideas, grandiose entitlement and difficulty relating to people), which predispose him to anxiety and depression.
Veltman had chronic depression that changed and intensified beginning in Sept. 2020, Gojer testified.
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Defence lawyer Christopher Hicks focused on the impact that ingesting psilocybin could have on someone like Veltman, who previously testified he ingested about three grams of psilocybin roughly 40 hours before the attack.
Gojer testified that there can be a “paradoxical effect,” saying that while Veltman spoke about experiencing what Gojer characterized as “insight” into his violent thinking while on mushrooms, he believes Veltman was also frightened and alarmed by how close he appeared to be to harming others.
Veltman previously testified to feeling like he was in a dreamlike state and feeling depersonalized after coming out of the high, which Gojer said was certainly possible. Gojer testified that there could be a mental or emotional withdrawal period, with existing anxiety and obsessive thinking getting worse.
Gojer suggested that Veltman could have been experiencing a “drug-induced hypomania.”
“That’s not a diagnosis that I’ve made,” Gojer stressed to the jury, “it is a finding that I’m putting forward as a possible explanation for the behaviour that I’ve observed.”
Veltman has pleaded not guilty in the case, which marks the first time Canada’s terrorism laws are being put before a jury in a first-degree murder trial.
The Crown has argued that Veltman was motivated by white nationalist beliefs and had planned his attack for three months. The defence has been suggesting that Veltman was a troubled man who had been successfully resisting violent urges until hallucinogenic drugs weakened his impulse control.
The proceedings resume Tuesday in Windsor.
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