The trial of Richard Henry Bain, charged in connection with Quebec’s 2012 election-night shooting resumed Monday with the defence presenting evidence.
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Lawyer Alan Guttman said he will present expert witnesses and members of Bain’s family as well as medical evidence to prove his client was not criminally responsible.
“So far, you’ve heard about a man who worked all his life up until a certain point and quit and was in a depression that led up to Sept. 4,” Guttman told reporters during a break in proceedings.
Bain took the stand, speaking about how he suffered from depression for 30 years and was on medication for most of that time.
He told the jury he doesn’t remember much about the hours leading up to the fatal shooting.
READ MORE: Descriptive testimony unveiled at Richard Henry Bain murder trial
Bain has pleaded not guilty to six charges, including first-degree murder in the death of lighting technician Denis Blanchette.
The charges are connected to events outside the Metropolis nightclub in Montreal where Parti Québécois (PQ) premier-designate Pauline Marois was giving her victory speech nearly four years ago.
The Crown has alleged that Bain approached the back of the club with a tactical assault rifle and fired a bullet that struck Blanchette and also hit another stagehand, who survived.
The 65-year-old also faces three charges of attempted murder and two fire-related counts.
WATCH BELOW: Richard Henry Bain on trial
The accused told the jury he remembered visiting his sister-in-law at Montreal’s Royal Victoria Hospital the day of the shooting, as well as asking for directions to the Metropolis.
He testified he’d heard about the venue previously and acknowledged he knew the PQ gathering was supposed to be there.
Bain told the jury he didn’t have a cache of weapons and ammunition in his vehicle and doesn’t remember going home to retrieve them or changing into the clothes he was wearing when he was later arrested.
READ MORE: Jury sees evidence of weapons, ammunition
Bain testified he’d struggled with depression much of his life and pinned much of the problem to an anti-depressant – Cymbalta – he said played havoc with his ability to comprehend his actions.
“Cymbalta takes away all your worries,” Bain testified, frequently blaming the drug he started taking in 2009 after a major depression.
“It gives you the energy to do what you want to do, right or wrong.”
Bain said between 2009 and 2012 he blew through his entire life savings, an estimated $900,000.
The money went to various business ventures, but also on gentlemen’s clubs, limousines, alcohol and strippers.
In 2009, he spent vast amounts stockpiling food and medication out of concerns about an H1N1 outbreak – and even purchased military grade vehicles and firearms because he was convinced of a breakdown in civil society.
He later went off the drug after concerns raised by family, but went back on in April 2012 without telling doctors.
The trial has been on a break since the Crown wrapped up its case on June 30.
— With files from the Canadian Press.
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