The family physician who treated Colin Hatcher, on trial for the first-degree murder of his mother Kathleen Hatcher, testified he agreed with the son’s request to wean off his anti-psychotic drugs despite having concerns.
On his first meeting with Colin Hatcher on Jan. 6, 2020, Dr. Milan Atanackovic said the 36-year-old was adamant about weaning of a drug called Abilify and wanted to be done by April 2020.
Atanackovic had just moved home from working in the United States, opened a family practice and was accepting new patients.
Atanackovic said he agreed with Colin’s request despite not having his medical records. He said he believed that Colin was already not taking his medication.
“He was adamant about doing it. If I said, ‘No, we won’t do this,’ he probably would have walked out and found another office,” Atanackovic told court. “I wanted to find a middle ground.”
The doctor testified Colin told him it had been 24 months since he had experienced a psychotic episode and told him he would reduce the dosage as long as he was asymptomatic. The doctor said he wasn’t aware of the specific details of the psychotic episode and said Colin refused to sign an R.O.I. (release of information) form.
Just over a year later, on Feb. 26, 2021, Colin was charged with the first-degree murder of his mother Kathleen Hatcher. The 69-year-old was found in a wooded area of King’s Mill Park near Bloor Street and Old Mill Road. She had been stabbed to death.
Assistant Crown attorney Paul Zambonini has told Superior Court Justice Shaun Nakatsuru the issue the judge must decide is not who is responsible, but rather what was Colin’s state of mind at the time of his mother’s death and whether he is criminally responsible.
- Arrested Western University students were making bombs, firearms, police allege
- Man wanted for alleged abduction in Manitoba arrested, woman found safe
- Gavin McKenna, top NHL prospect, gets felony assault charge withdrawn
- British man who was living in Vancouver convicted in U.S. dark web drug trafficking
During cross-examination, defence lawyer Mary Cremer grilled Atanackovic about agreeing to let Colin wean off Abilify despite a lack of information about why he was taking the anti-psychotic drug.
“You made that decision without seeing any previous hospital record?” Cremer asked. The doctor agreed.
“You didn’t even request a verbal consult with a psychiatrist?” Cremer added. “I wanted to but I didn’t have time,” Atanackovic replied.
“You didn’t think let me talk to someone and decide?” Cremer queried. “No,” said the doctor.
“The fact he didn’t want to disclose his medical history, that must have caused you significant concern?” said Cremer.
Get breaking National news
Atanackovic agreed that he would have preferred to have waited in order to more information about Colin’s medical history, but said he was concerned if he let him walk out of his office, he would have no medical help at all.
“So, despite your better judgment, you agreed to embark on a treatment plan with Mr. Hatcher?” Cremer asked.
“It was the best judgment. I could monitor him rather than have him stop taking an anti-psychotic on his own,” Atanackovic said, explaining his decision.
Court heard it was not until more than two months later that Atanackovic learned that Colin’s father, Tom Hatcher, was his substitute decision-maker (SDM) and realized that Colin’s mental health issues were very serious.
The trial has already heard that in March 2018, Tom Hatcher had his son involuntarily committed to St. Joseph’s Health Centre after Colin threatened to kill both his parents.
When he was released from hospital after a few weeks, Colin decided to make his father his SDM.
The doctor said Colin eventually allowed him to speak to his parents about Colin’s medical plans, but agreed with Cremer who suggested the doctor and Colin made the decision regarding taking him off the anti-psychotics.
He testified that by March 2020, he obtained records from St. Joseph’s Health Centre and got the full picture on why he was involuntarily admitted.
In March 2020, Atanackovic said he got an email from Kathleen about her son’s history of mental health issues. She also told the doctor about a voicemail that Colin had left on his mother’s work voicemail at the Toronto District School Board in which Colin accused her of being a drug addict.
The doctor testified after calling Kathleen to ask her more information, saying he called Colin to ask him about the voicemail left about his mom.
“He justified it by stating that he knows she abuses drugs even though he’s not in touch with her. He also feels that she should retire because she is nearing the age of 70,” Atanackovic said.
The doctor testified he called Colin’s father and suggested he consider having his son involuntarily committed to hospital again for a psychiatric assessment.
“I am beginning to worry we are approaching some kind of delusional state where he’s believing in things that are not occurring,” said Atanackovic.
The doctor said he knew Tom was aware of the Form 2 process, which authorizes police to take a person to hospital for psychiatric assessment, but the father told him he didn’t believe they would be approved given Colin had not threatened anyone.
Atanackovic also recalled an incident in January 2021 when Colin called the medical clinic and said he was worried that someone may have drugged him.
“He was living with a woman for some time. He asked her to leave because he thought she was drugging him,” the doctor testified.
Atanackovic testified he reassured Colin that it was very unlikely he was drugged or poisoned after performing urine and blood tests.
On Jan. 20, 2021, the doctor said he received an email from Colin’s mother Kathleen, informing him about her son’s recent behaviour. She was concerned her son was not taking his anti-psychotic medication and said he was acting “very paranoid and delusional.”
Atanackovic said Kathleen also mentioned that her son thought he was being poisoned, spoke about communicating with the prime minister and thought he was being spied on.
The doctor said when he informed Colin about his mother’s email, Colin was not happy that someone’s subjective interpretation of him was in his chart.
The doctor said Colin requested that his mother’s email be removed from his record and he complied on Feb. 12, 2021.
“I thought it was good to do this or our rapport and relationship would not suffer. I didn’t want him to walk away and not come back because then he would have no doctor,” Atanackovic said. “If it was a doctor’s note, I would not have removed it.”
The doctor said he didn’t like the fact that Colin wanted him to stop communicating with his family because it had been a good source of information in the past, but he was his patient. “His needs need to be respected,” he explained.
Atanackovic said on Feb. 17, 2021, Colin came by the clinic and picked up a copy of his mother’s email as per his request.
“I do recall something about Colin wanting it for legal reasons. He said he wanted it in case his family wanted to control his medical management,” he said.
The day before Hatcher’s murder, Atanackovic testified Colin came by the clinic to inquire if a prescription for low testosterone had been faxed to a pharmacy. A note about that visit written by an office administrator written in his medical records was read out in court.
“The interaction was only a few minutes long however the patient did not blink once and his eyes were the size of pin pricks,” said the note.
Atanackovic testified he learned on March 1 that Colin Hatcher had been charged with his mother’s murder.
Zambonini asked the doctor how he felt.
“Not good, unpleasant, it was shocking. I’m just disappointed,” Atanackovic said, sighing.
Colin Hatcher has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. The trial continues.
Comments