Almost five years ago, Kathleen Hatcher’s lifeless body was found in a wooded area of King’s Mill Park near Bloor Street and Old Mill Road. She had been stabbed to death.
On Monday, on what would have been Hatcher’s 74th birthday, the first-degree murder trial for her son Colin Hatcher began in a downtown courtroom. Colin is charged with his mother’s murder. He has pleaded not guilty.
The first witness for the prosecution, now-retired Toronto police officer Luke Anderson testified he was the first officer on scene on Feb. 26. 2021, after getting a call to attend Humber River recreational trail.
“I received information that a female called from a cellphone, kept asking for help and an ambulance,” Anderson testified.
Working alone that day and in uniform, Anderson said when he arrived at King’s Mill Park, parked his marked cruiser and got out of his vehicle around 10:55 a.m., he was approached by a pedestrian who advised him she had a heard a woman screaming for help about 20 minutes earlier.
Anderson said firefighters and paramedics arrived just minutes later and they decided to split up on foot to look for the female caller whom the supervisor had told Anderson could not provide the complainant’s location.
“The supervisor said the phone was registered to a Kathleen Boyle Hatcher,” Anderson testified.
As Anderson was walking along a stream in a wooded area, he testified he tried calling the complainant’s cellphone twice but it went directly to voicemail.
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“At approximately 11:10 a.m., while walking north along the creek, I observed a body face down in the snow along the path,” Anderson recalled, saying he screamed for help. Body-worn camera video shown in court captured Kathleen Hatcher’s body covered in blood lying in a snow-covered wooded area.
Anderson said Kathleen Hatcher’s cellphone was lying in a face-up position underneath her body.
Within a minute, firefighters can be seen arriving on scene. Anderson said paramedics were close behind.
“She was lying down motionless and unresponsive. I call out to her but there was no response,” said Anderson.
“Paramedics tried to save her but they were unable to,” he added, saying Kathleen Hatcher was pronounced dead minutes later.
Crown prosecutor Paul Zambonini told Superior Court Justice Shaun Nakatsuru in his opening address that there was a history of mental illness with Colin Hatcher.
“I expect you will hear there were some discussions by Colin Hatcher over the years about killing his family members and specifically Kathleen Hatcher and it appears that’s what he did on Feb. 26, 2021,” said Zambonini.
“This case, we agree with Ms. (Mary) Cremer, this is not a whodunnit,” said Zambonini. Cremer is Colin Hatcher’s lawyer.
Zambonini said it’s expected that two forensic psychiatrists who met with Colin Hatcher are expected to testify about his mental state at the time of his mother’s death.
“We anticipate the defence witness will say he is not criminally responsible and the Crown witness will say he is criminally responsible,” Zambonini explained.
The Crown explained that both forensic psychiatrists will focus on substantial medical records from Colin Hatcher.
“Back in March 2018, he was ‘Formed 2’ by his father after he threatened to kill both his mother and father, and was involuntarily committed to St. Joe’s Hospital,” said Zambonini.
A Form 2, under the Mental Health Act, is a court order allowing police to take someone for a psychiatric assessment if they are believed to have a mental health disorder and is likely to cause serious bodily harm to themselves or others.
“He (Colin) talked about a pact he made with his grandfather to kill his parents,” said Zambonini.
Zambonini said evidence will show that Colin Hatcher, who had worked as a chef for about 10 years, was put on medication before his symptoms subsided and he went back into the community. The prosecutor also said a physician named Dr. Milan Atanackovic is expected to testify.
“Mr. Hatcher, once he got out of St. Joe’s, he saw a psychiatrist, then a family doctor. There was some unpleasantness with that doctor and then he went to Dr. Atanackovic,” Zamobonini said.
“Colin Hatcher asked to wean off the anti-psychotic medications. Shortly after he weaned off, he killed Kathleen Hatcher,” he said.
Zambonini said the two forensic psychiatrists are expected to rely on those medical records and testimony from family members including Laura Hatcher, Colin’s sister, Terence Hatcher, Colin’s brother and Tom Hatcher, Colin’s father.
Speaking about Colin’s brother Terence, Zambonini explained, “he himself suffers from schizophrenia.”
“The real dispute is going to be, at the time of the killing, what was Mr. Hatcher’s mental state and was he criminally responsible,” the prosecutor explained.
The judge-alone trial is scheduled for four weeks.
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