Thomas Chan blamed magic mushrooms for his “unprovoked attack,” according to a police recording as the Peterborough man’s murder trial continued on Tuesday.
Chan, 21, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the death of his father Dr. Andrew Chan, and attempted murder of Dr. Chan’s partner Lynne Witteveen, at a Haggis Drive house in Peterborough on the night of Dec. 28, 2015. Chan was released on bail in April 2016.
Testimony last week from several individuals stated they consumed magic mushrooms and alcohol with Chan several hours prior to his arrest. Police officers on Monday testified Chan was repeatedly yelling “I am God” when they arrived on the scene.
On Tuesday, Staff Sgt. Peter Sejrup testified he was assigned to drive Chan to Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay to check for his injuries. He described Chan as “very melancholy” during the drive.
“He just sat quietly in the back of the cruiser,” Sejrup told court.
A video shows Sejrup informing Chan that he’s wearing a recording device and that Chan was not obliged to talk to police or make statements.
However, the video ends but the audio continues.
Chan is heard telling Sejrup he has had several concussions and struggled with depression, which included past extensive drug use with the likes of MDMA, cocaine and pot.
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He also tells Sejrup he took mushrooms after drinking earlier and started to meditate and hallucinate. Chan says he began to think he was God, but that everyone was against him.
“It was definitely mushrooms. Yep. That was the main contributor to this,” Chan said in a neutral tone. “It was a vicious, unprovoked attack. It was stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.”
Chan is heard saying he will do anything to highlight the use of drugs and concussions.
“Believe me when I say I’m not a bad person and this was a ridiculous, unprovoked attack.”
However, despite apologizing, Chan told officers to disregard everything he said earlier because it will “be of no use to them” since he said was still under the influence of the mushrooms.
Chan tells officers he’s not a vicious guy, and that he is willing to talk to a psychologist about what happened that night. At the hospital, officers are heard offering Chan a list of lawyers to contact.
Earlier Tuesday, a toxicologist from the Centre of Forensic Sciences, testified that the effects of magic mushrooms usually last three to six hours after consumption.
Court heard a blood sample was taken from Chan about 22 hours after the alleged attack inside the house.
However, toxicologist Daryl Mayers says the blood sample did not have any detectable trace of Psilocycin, the compound in magic mushrooms.
He explained that the metabolization of the compound produces effects such as nausea, sweating, chills and euphoria and can cause senses to “blend together.” Mayers added that magic mushrooms can also produce anxiety, aggression and a sense of fear, otherwise known as a “bad trip,” noting that an individual’s make-up and underlying issues may also contribute to the effects.
But Mayers says the blood sample result wasn’t surprising, since it was taken “almost a day later.” He said based on the average person, Psilocycin breaks down in the body “very quickly.”
The toxicologist said he can’t conclude there was no use of magic mushrooms.
Mayers, who cautioned about discussing absolutes for drug consumption, said on average it takes about 30 minutes for the effects of magic mushrooms to take hold; full effects usually take two hours after consumption and can last six hours or longer in some cases.
“You will perceive things as much more vibrant,” he testified. “Colours will be much more vibrant.”
Mayers said he’s only aware of one death attribute to magic mushrooms, and he says he’s not sure that was correct.
“It’s quite a safe drug, as far as the end result of toxicity,” he said.
He also noted that alcohol is a depressant, which he wouldn’t expect to play a dominant role in the effects of magic mushrooms on the body.
When the Crown asked what would happen if a group of people consumed the same drug from the same source, Mayers said he would not expect everyone to have the same reaction.
“If someone were to consume more magic mushrooms an hour or two after the first dose, it would increase the effects,” he said.
He added “most people,” though not all, describe a peaceful, tranquil process as the effects of magic mushrooms wear off. He said most of his knowledge comes from self-reporting by users and controlled studies.
“Some people are more agitated at that time as well,” he said.
Mayers, when asked by the defence, said side effects can include muscle pain and weakness. But he testified he had never heard of anyone experiencing increased muscle strength. An older person with cognition deficits may react differently, he noted.
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